It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. It mentions Benjamin Hawkins of the late 18th century, who was asked by the US president to go back to Washington. I reckon she skipped town on account of her mama being madder than a wet hen. Alongside fixin to, this is a quintessential term to strike a match under your vocab and hear it holler Yeehaw!! Youve heard that old saying, Ill be there if the creek dont rise? Well, theyve all risen, and a lot of people are staying home because of that.. 133 Copy quote. Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). All rights reserved. If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise. If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise, If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise, Good Lord's Willin and The Creek Don't Rise, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=1136534691, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 20:39. Here are a couple of examples of this claim. Positive thinking, Southern style. 'Cause everything's fine, God, I wish it were . Donate via PayPal. Quick, what do you call a soft drink? Take a load off the ole dogs, sit on your front porch, and let your know neighbors know about that sugar honey iced teayou had to deal with today. A young woman goes missing and has the town both fearful and wondering. Unarguable Southern criticism. Therefore if the Lord is willing and the Creek don't rise up and start up another uprising or battle, we will be able complete what ever it is we intend to do. "We plan to be there," we might say, and then add on a quick, "Lord willing and the creek don't rise." It's another way of saying, "I am dead serious about keeping my word on this, short of a hurricane or earthquake." In other words, I'm doggedly committed to this unless the devil stops me. Whether you're talking about volume or value, a hill of beans isn't worth much. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. Is this derivation correct? It happens often during a Southern summer, when the heat rises and the temperatures shoot past 100. If you're trying to be nice, but you just can't quite let it go, "bless your heart" is a go-to. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. It has been noted that the phrase should be correctly written as God willing and the Creek dont rise. in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. What is the origin of the phrase the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise? The saying has been attributed to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson among others, on the usual principle that attaching a famous name to a story validates it. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. Learn how your comment data is processed. This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. Affixes dictionary. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." Dont worry, if youre helping a friend make groceries, youre not expected to create food from scratch. January 2021: Hat tip to Maria whonotes that the collection of Benjamin Hawkinss letters has now been digitized and can be read at this link. Following that treaty John Siever formed the state of Franklin from land previously claimed by North Carolina but never ceded by the Indian tribes. All of my life there have been local mountain sayings that I've heard and of course repeated, complete with a North Carolina southern drawl as literal fact. Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. You may still hear it if you stop into a country store. Its a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. During the early days of the War of 1812, one party of Creek marched north and joined the Indians fighting in Ohio and Michigan, participating in the River Raisin Massacre. The clipping below from 1892 is a reference to flooding waterways not allowing the postmaster to get to his office. There, we listened to amazing stories told by Dr. John Mattox. Which means if nothing crazy happens or anything out my control such as a natural disaster. Neither provides any documentation: http://pub122.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm2.showMessage?topicID=191.topic, http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm#LordWillingAndTheCreek. By extension, maybe the Southern US expression was the way for an affronted or shocked listener to say none of that crazy untoward talk or behavior shall have power over me.. It was set in the Ozark mountains featuring what some people called a witch. Step into the Deep South and experience the lives and hardships, hopes and dreams, of folk who have nothing except gritand sometimes loveas their currency. In fact, Georgia and South Carolina produce more peaches than any other states in the South. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. "Like all great southern. From the present day of the story in 1970 to flashbacks of the past and dreams, these various points of view give us a vivid picture of this place and the people who live there. Theres probably a connection between eternal damnation and tarnation. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. Origin debaters point to Col. Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina, a Continental Congress senator. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. Johnny Cash had a hit with the song If The Good Lords Willing, and Hank Williams Jr. titled his song If the Good Lords Willin (And The Creeks Dont Rise).. I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. Youd be in a real fix then. That argues for a more mundane origin: the old-time difficulties of travelling on dirt roads that forded rivers and streams; a sudden storm could cause water levels to rise without warning and render the route impassable. With a colorful cast of characters and a flair for the Southern Gothic, If the Creek Don't Rise is a debut novel bursting with heart, honesty, and homegrown grit. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. Paperback, 305 pages. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. The Creek so-called civil war of 1812 involving the Red Stick faction, and their combat North and South, appears to have been an impetus for that forts creation. https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=70955250. This phrase enjoyed national exposure in 1988 after Texas Governor Ann Richards remarked: When we pay billions for planes that wont fly, billions for tanks that wont fire, and billions for systems that wont workthat old dog wont hunt.. At the same time there is some evidence that the creation of Fort Deposit (Fort Deposite) in Georgia was a cause of concern in that munitions and arms were stockpiled. John Wayne. "If The Good Lord's Willing and The Creek Don't Rise" is a 1955 American country song by Jerry Reed which was particularly popularized by the 1958 recording of Johnny Cash and has been covered by multiple artists.[1]. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. If you hear this one, you should probably pause a moment. That book was a 1908 publication and leans toward the thought of Creek Indian, even if not capitalized, because of the word fire (as in shooting guns). Well, hells bells. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . If you've ever been caught in a summer storm, you know that you can feel, smell, and see a storm blowin' up across the wide Southern skies. In the Deep South? Farmers know that if you do something 'til the cows come home, it's going to take all day. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. This was an extremely enjoyable read! If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. I was reading a post on one of the West Virginia pages that I follow in which a person referenced God willing and the creeks dont rise. in reference to rain and floods. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. Ireckon is the way many Southerners get to surmising about something or other. is a common way to use this next Southern cussemism. It traces to the 1700s and is based on darnation, the mild form of damnation. A friend of mine told me to shoot first and ask questions later. Variants substitute "God" or "Good Lord" (with or without "the") for "Lord", and substitute "crick" or "river" for "creek", or capitalize it as "Creek" or "Creeks" based on confusion with the Creek Indian tribe. There is no reason to suppose the Indian variant is true. Over yonder down the road. Theres two or three creeks, he said. A true Southern tradition. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. Back when I was in the fourth grade we had an English teacher who dumped a box of books out one day and told us to read them and do book reports. I will continue to look for references to this phrase origin and would welcome discussion to prove (one way or the other) what the original author intended to mean. If the creek dont rise was a whimsical way of saying that the speaker would carry out some task provided that no figurative obstacle were put in his path. Some newspaper clippings are harder to determine which meaning they meant. To understand Hawkins, I read a little further into his history. Any of you word experts have solid information? (Yes, it is terrible grammar, but that is how it is said. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. But in following verses the rhyme changes through "creeks don't rise", "creek stay low", back to "creeks don't rise". When you arrive on the banks of the fishing pond on Saturday mornings, you're hoping for a good catchenough big catfish and bream to fry up for the family on Saturday night. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. The exact tranlation might be, 'If God is willing, and there isn't a flood that would prevent us from meeting again next week'. A Quite certainly not. Runnin around like a chicken with it's head . The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. For instance if someone invites you to church on Sunday, you would respond "I'll be there with bells on God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise.". If the creek don't risewas a whimsical way of saying that the speaker would carry out some task provided that no figurative obstacle were put in his path. I'm a sucker for the well turned phrase and I was highlighting sentences here, one after another. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. Copyright 2023 KAIT. Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. If the Creek Dont Rise by Leah Weiss is a 2017 Sourcebooks Landmark publication. I first heard of the notion of creek meaning Creek on a camping trip a couple of years ago at Barkcamp State Park in the area of Wheeling, WV. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). He would tell the audience that we would meet again, "If the good Lord's willin', and the creek don't rise". (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. Weiss has a unique voice. (Recall, also, that the Creek who did go to war against the whites were a smaller group within the Creek nation and that the larger group remained neutral or actively assisted the whites in the warat which point they were betrayed by having the U.S. sieze all their land.). Werefixin to tell you more Southernisms, and now were doing just that. So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. "If the Creek Don't Rise" We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us. You'll also find a longer version of my official bio: It's bold, powerful, dark and hard to believe that this is a debut novel. "If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.". In response to a request that he return to Washington D.C., he wrote, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Over yonder toward the water tower. Cant never could is a reminder that if you dont even try, you wont ever accomplish your goal. Anecdotal evidence from people who have got in touch with me down the years suggests that it has been in regular use throughout the lifetimes of some elderly folk in parts of the US, either in the form you give or as the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise. In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. However, the first President to move to Washington was John Adams on 1 November 1800. This was the phrase that he always used, at the end of each performance. Eventually, you became a singular pronoun, and we lost the plural pronouns. Eli is the backbone of the community; all he wants is a better life for the people of Baines Creek evidenced by the succession of teachers he has procured.and been scared off, and his scheming troublemaking spinster of a sister Prudence who "don't like nobody" doesn't help matters any, but when the giant 6' 2" Kate Shaw arrives, wellthat's another story. In his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." 1851. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. !, Reckon has ancestry tracing all the way back to the 1000s (and maybe older still), and originally means to count, calculate.. Firsts, Mines, Asks. With a colorful cast of characters and a flair for the Southern Gothic, If the Creek Don't Rise is a debut novel bursting with heart, honesty, and homegrown grit. This Southern saying, God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise. Historically, Southerners in the Appalachian mountains pronounced eternal as tarnal. That pronunciation suggests a clever word-smoosh between tarnal and damnation, so the savvy Appalachians could euphemistically express their anger without wasting an extra breath. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. (LogOut/ No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. The story of Benjamin Hawkins relationship with the Creek,Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians goes back to 1786, when America was working on solidifying its hold on the new nation. The Lafayette gazette(Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. This one originates from the 19th century, when Carter Products marketed "Little Liver Pills" across the country. Stop right there! Take a look at some of our favorite Southern sayings that we just couldn't live without. All rights reserved. It may take the form of real or mock dialect, in variations like " Lor' willin' an' th' crick don' rise.". However, this is clearly one of those evolving language cases. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. The doin hasnt been done yet. If you refer to itno matter the brand or flavoras Coke, chances are you grew up in the South. A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." Signed in November, 1785, A Treaty With the Cherokee (the technical name of the Treaty of Hopewell) created the first rift between theCherokee Nationand the Chickamauga Cherokee that would not end until the Chickamauga went West following the Revolt of the Young Chiefs. Lyndon Johnsons wife Lady Bird was fond of the phrase, and she wasnt one to cast aspersions on native Americans. The swear-word equivalent would be something along the lines of No sh*t!I declare may have come from an English oath (the sworn proclamation kind) declaring that no foreign parties have power to subvert the Crown. From the start there's been a film of dingy on my days.. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. The proper phrase is Lord willing and the Creek don't rise. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. It can be summarised as "if all goes well". A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" 132 Copy quote. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. Turn around, and please dont drive through it. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. Throughout the years, through these floods, weve had several roads that have washed completely out, so you just dont know whats down there.. The New Madrid earthquake (reputedly the largest in recorded history in North America) created the division between traditionalist Creek (Red Sticks) and those more willing to seek accommodation with the majority of the tribe. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. I've never forgotten it and it's drove me nuts because I would love a copy of it. The expression ". Here is an article that casts rather a lot of doubt on your assertion: 'God willing and the creek don't rise' M Quinion_World Wide Words: Q From Bob Scala: An item that has been floating around the internet claims that the expression 'God willing and the creek don't rise' referred to the Creek Indians, not a body of water. DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. It's raining cats and dogs. Sign up for writing inspiration in your email, , Scarlett OHara says: I do declare, Frank Kennedy, if you dont look dashing with that new set of whiskers!, The distinct English dialect of the American South, which has a close relationship with Black English (African American Vernacular English), is fascinatingand plenty lively. The expression make groceries is a translation of the French faire son march (to do ones market shopping). Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. The expression "the creek don't rise" is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. My favorite variant is the phrase Hank Williams Sr. sometimes used to end his shows: "Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you before long." - MT_Head. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. And, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, come March of next year, I'll be 225 years old. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. By date order (spelling and titling may vary): Not to be confused with the Ray LaMontagne album, If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine All Music Guide to Country 0879307609 2003 Page 629 Jerry Reed "Here I Am collects his complete recordings for Capitol (30 songs), most of which were originals. The researchers went on to cite two different publications in the 1800s in which the authors did not capitalize the word creek, leading one to believe they did not mean the people proper. Required fields are marked *. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. However, with the west in flames, both whites and Indians began organizing fighters. These skies can darken at a moment's notice, and summer afternoons often see winds churning and heavy rain clouds blowing in to cool that Southern summer heat. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. Funny Phrases ben stanczyk 10/25/01 And even if it did, the initial capital letter would mean nothing, as at the time it was still common practice to capitalise all nouns. If you've read the book summary, you already know Sadie Blue lives with a devil of a man, but she's not the only one who has lived with a wife beater of a husband. HARDY, Ark. Page created 25 Feb. 2012, Problems viewing this page? It completely nailed the "mountain living" that I remembered my grandmother talking about. Something needed to fill in the gap: Yall is one solution associated with the South, with all generally serving to clarify more than one you is being addressed. Catawampus(or, cattywampus) may have been popularized by Brits who delighted in parodying Southern vernacular. In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett OHara says: I do declare, Frank Kennedy, if you dont look dashing with that new set of whiskers!. The most interesting often hail from our older generations, such as the WWII era and those raised by them. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. I was going to ask him why, but I had to shoot him. My officers and fire department, we went along the river houses and notified everybody and recommended evacuation, said Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose. DeSantis ends Disney's free reign over Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. False folk etymology. In a letter to the Commander in Chief, Hawkins stated that he would return to the nations capital, God willing and the Creek dont rise., Hawkins, college-educated and a well-written man would never have made a grammatical error, so the capitalization of Creek is the only way the phrase could make sense and the reference is not to a creek, but The Creek Indian Nation. Often said as "Lord willing and the creek don't rise," this expression means, with a little bit of luck and no unexpected problems, things should work out.
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