Santa Sabina was a Mexican rock group. The group was formed in 1988, in Mex… Read Full Bio ↴Santa Sabina was a Mexican rock group. The group was formed in 1988, in Mexico City, Mexico, by singer Rita Guerrero (from Guadalajara, Mexico), bassist Alfonso "Poncho" Figueroa, guitarist Pablo Valero and keyboardist Jacobo Leiberman. Juan Sebastian Lach was keyboardist for a while. The name of the group honors the memory of Maria Sabina, the Mazatec shaman who lived in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Santa Sabina are distinguished by their gothic rock lyrics and stage presence. Their music, however, is perhaps best described as a variant of progressive rock which borrows heavily from jazz.

At the end of the 1980s, Guerrero left her hometown of Guadalajara to attend the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City to pursue a career in theatre. There, she met Poncho Figueroa, Pablo Valero and Jacobo Leiberman, who at that time were members of a jazz group called "the Psicotrópicos". "The Psicotrópicos" agreed to provide music for a play written for Guerrero's theatre class based on Franz Kafka's "Amérika". As they worked together, they realized they had a strong artistic affinity. After the dissolution of the "Psicotrópicos", they decided to form a new rock band that reflected their artistic vision. Although the group's lineup has changed through the years (as in the case of Pablo Valero and Jacobo Leiberman), the sound of the group, has evolved but remains faithful to its initial course.

Their first albums, Santa Sabina (1992), Símbolos (1994) and Babel (1996) were released through the now-defunct Mexican record label Culebra Records, a local branch of BGM Ariola. Their following albums, Mar adentro en la sangre (2001) and Espiral (2003), were independent productions. In 1997, they also recorded an album of their "unplugged" performance for MTV Latinamerica called Santa Sabina Unplugged.

The band reformed briefly in 2010 when it became clear that this might be the last chance to have Rita perform as she was diagnosed with breast cancer and treatment failed. On the 11th March 2011 Rita passed away which left the band without a lead-singer. No information is available whether they will reform with another singer.

Noche
Santa Sabina Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Una gota de agua,
Retumba en mis oídos.

Despierto
(nada)

Te ves y duermes,
¿Qué eres ahí,

En ese reino?

Tus recuerdos
Llegan hasta aquí,
Ya no hay más.

Decides ir muy lejos,
¿Qué ausencia es
La que me envuelve?

Tus recuerdos,
Llegan hasta aquí.
Ya no hay más.

Tus latidos,
Vienen desde ahí.
Ya no estás.

Y mi cuerpo,
Busca tu calor.
Nada más.

Son tus latidos,
Estás vivo,
Estás cerca,
No te olvido.

Mi cuerpo busca tu calor,
Estoy viva,

Estoy cerca,
No me olvides.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Noche" by Santa Sabina are introspective and melancholic. The first stanza portrays the artist's heightened state of sensitivity, with a drop of water resonating in their ears. The second stanza seems to address a person sleeping next to them but, paradoxically, also far away in "that realm" of dreams. The following verse has a strong sense of loss or separation – perhaps this person has gone away or passed away. The singer can only feel their memories lingering but no longer present.

The fourth verse deepens the sense of absence or abandonment, as the person decides to go far away, leaving the singer with the hollow feeling of emptiness. The fifth stanza is a repetition of the earlier one – their memories are still present but fading away. The sixth and final verse reveals that the person is alive but no longer with them. The recurring line "Mi cuerpo busca tu calor" (My body seeks your warmth) captures the longing and desire for connection and intimacy.

"Noche" is a haunting song that deals with themes of grief, loss, and the transience of existence. The ambiguous nature of the lyrics invites multiple interpretations, and the use of sparse, atmospheric music adds to the overall mood of introspection and melancholy.

Line by Line Meaning

Una gota de agua,
A single drop of water,

Retumba en mis oídos.
Echoes in my ears.

Despierto
Awake,

(nada)
But nothing.

Te ves y duermes,
You look and sleep,

¿Qué eres ahí,
What are you there,

En ese reino?
In that kingdom?

Tus recuerdos
Your memories,

Llegan hasta aquí,
Reach here,

Ya no hay más.
There is nothing more.

Decides ir muy lejos,
You decide to go far away,