From New York Girls by by Finbar Furey
Shipmates listen unto me, I'll tell you in my song
Of the things that happened to me
When I come home from Hong KongCHORUS:
To me a-weigh, you Santy, My dear Annie
Oh, you New York gals, Can't you dance the polka?
What is "a-weigh" and what is a "Santy"?
Best Answer
A-weigh is an easy one: to weigh (anchor). That is, let's get sailing. (In context - come to me.)
Santy is a bit more confusing. In Irish English Santy is Santa Claus
I'm not sure why Santa would be involved. Perhaps it is just a Saint in general, not Saint Nick being referred to here.
Saint Anne for example is the patron saint of unmarried women. Although, it seems more likely that Annie is just a common girl's name being invoked in the song.
Taking the whole line, I think it's an exclamatory invocation of the saints (or just calling the girl a saint and asking her to come to him), followed by a girl's name, and saying that New York girls don't dance the polka.