Context:
A is a Mexican immigrant from the state of Nayarit. They heard of this legend when they lived in the city of Tepic, which was about an hour away from where the legend takes place. San Blas is a well-know beach and was frequently visited by A.
The context of this piece was over a dinner when we were discussing future plans to visit Nayarit, specifically which beaches we were going to. A mentioned the legend and showed me the song.
Text:
Uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh
Ella despidió a su amor
El partió en un barco en el muelle de San Blas
El juró que volvería
Y empapada en llanto, ella juró que esperaría
Miles de lunas pasaron
Y siempre ella estaba en el muelle, esperando
Muchas tardes se anidaron
Se anidaron en su pelo y en sus labios
Uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh
Uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh
Llevaba el mismo vestido
Y por si él volviera, no se fuera a equivocar
Los cangrejos le mordían
Su ropaje, su tristeza y su ilusión
Y el tiempo se escurrió
Y sus ojos se le llenaron de amaneceres
Y del mar se enamoró
Y su cuerpo se enraizó en el muelle
, sola en el olvido
(Sola), sola con su espíritu
(Sola), sola con su amor el mar
(Sola), en el muelle de San Blas
Su cabello se blanqueó
Pero ningún barco a su amor le devolvía
Y en el pueblo le decían
Le decían la loca del muelle de San Blas
Y una tarde de abril
La intentaron trasladar al manicomio
Nadie la pudo arrancar
Y del mar nunca jamás la separaron
, sola en el olvido
(Sola), sola con su espíritu
(Sola), sola con su amor el mar
(Sola), en el muelle de San Blas
, sola en el olvido
(Sola), sola con su espíritu
(Sola), sola con el sol y el mar
(Sola), ¡Oh, sola!
Sola en el olvido
(Sola), sola con su espíritu
(Sola), sola con su amor el mar
(Sola), en el muelle de San Blas
Se quedó
Se quedó sola, sola
Se quedó
Se quedó con el sol y con el mar
Se quedó ahí
Se quedó hasta el fin
Se quedó ahí
Se quedó en el muelle de San Blas
Uoh, oh-oh-oh
Sola, sola se quedó
Uoh, oh-oh-oh
// Translation:
Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh
She said goodbye to her love
He left on a boat at the pier in San Blas
He swore he’d come back
And drenched in tears, she swore she’d wait
Thousands of moons passed
And always she stood on the dock, waiting
Many afternoons nested
They nested in her hair and on her lips
Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh
Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh
She wore the same dress
And just in case he came back, he wouldn’t be wrong
The crabs were biting him
Her clothes, her sadness and her illusion
And time slipped away
And her eyes were filled with sunrises
And she fell in love with the sea
And her body took root on the pier
Alone in oblivion
(Alone), alone with her spirit
(Alone), alone with her love for the sea
(Alone), alone on the pier of San Blas
Her hair bleached white
But no ship to her love returned to her
And in the town they called her
They called her the madwoman of the pier of San Blas
And one April afternoon
They tried to transfer her to the asylum
No one could tear her away
And from the sea they never ever separated her
Alone in oblivion
(Alone), alone with her spirit
(Alone), alone with her love for the sea
(Alone), on the pier of San Blas
alone in oblivion
(Alone), alone with her spirit
(Alone), alone with the sun and the sea
(Alone), Oh, alone!
Alone in oblivion
(Alone), alone with her spirit
(Alone), alone with her love the sea
(Alone), on the pier of San Blas
She stayed
She stayed alone, alone
She stayed
She stayed with the sun and the sea
She stayed there
She stayed until the end
She stayed there
He stayed on the pier of San Blas
Uoh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Alone, alone she stayed
Uoh, oh-oh-oh
Analysis:
This text describes the legend of the crazed woman of San Blas. This song was made by the well-known Mexican rock band Mana and is around the folklore of the madwoman of the pier of San Blas. It was said that she was a young and beautiful woman that had fallen in love with a young sailor, possibly a fisherman. The two fell madly in love but their time together was brief as he left once his work was done in Nayarit. His departure was set to be from the shores of San Blas, a popular beach in Nayarit. Before leaving, he promised he would come back for her and marry her. As the song says, she stood there for a thousand nights and spent the entirety of her life waiting for him to come back. The legend says that the overwhelming feels of sadness, nostalgia, and desperation drove her into madness. It was said that in her state of madness, she began to head to the pier in a wedding gown with a veil and bouquet to wait for her groom to return to her. I found this song especially interesting as it was able to turn a somewhat niche local lore and publicize to the masses. I enjoyed how the band was able to transform the lore into a musical piece that captured the lore’s essence.