"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]. When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. But, in the South, if your boss says that dog wont hunt in a meeting, it probably means your suggestion or idea needs improvement. "Well I s'wanee" evokes the Southern Suwannee River. This was an extremely enjoyable read! Paperback, 305 pages. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Theres no better zinger than a bless your heart delivered in a condescending tone of voice that implies, as the Southern Decoder puts it, youre dumb, homely, or otherwise impaired, but you cant help it.Go ahead and practice it in the mirror a few times. The request was to a general that had troops near Horseshoe Bend Alabama, protecting settlers against a Creek Indian uprising. The nabbit, gonnit, gummit, blasted, and burnit match the rhythm of damn it, but they can easily be modified for use as an adjective or adverb: That dagnab idiot didnt look to the dadgum left and, dadburnit, he crossed over in my dadblasted lane and dadburn near hit me. When used as a stand-alone oath, hold out on the first syllable and accentuate the second: DaaadGUMMit! Well, hells bells. 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.. This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 01:18. Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. 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. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. All rights reserved. Here are a couple of examples of this claim. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. and the word HOPE. For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. However, this is clearly one of those evolving language cases. Its a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. 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. When I was growing up, this was something we said all of the time. Older than Methuselah. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=70955250. from The New York Times: And, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, come March of next year, I'll be 70 years old. Because that is supposedly how the original author first wrote it. All rights reserved. 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. In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. Baines Creek is a small remote mountain settlement in North Carolina where many can't read, education is unheard of and catastrophic poverty is the norm. Can't Never Could. Just wait till you see what Granny Gladys does..with a bit of help from Mother Nature..hehehe. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. They had a conversation in which the phrase was discussed and noted as being about the Creek Indians. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. Unarguable Southern criticism. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. Its not a recent change. Turn around, and please dont drive through it. Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote. "All get out" finds its way into Southern phrases constantly, and it intensifies any statement. the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. This one may be self-explanatory, but we can imagine it originating back in the days of stagecoaches, when horse-and-buggy pairs filled the streets. You gonna do nothing?". A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. Anytime it rains as hard as it did last night, it always brings back fears of having to face something like we did in 1984, he said. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. 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. Well, I found it. 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. 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. It is a paraphrase of a popular biblical saying from James 4:15, and while there are scores of citations to the phrase in the sense of the waters rising, in the US and Europe, there is not one shred of evidence of a reference to the Creek nation. While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. But today Ive stumbled across the claim that it refers to an uprising by the Creek (or Cree) Indians. God willing and the creek don't rise If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? 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).. The exact tranlation might be, 'If God is willing, and there isn't a flood that would prevent us from meeting again next week'. IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty and entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending! Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. (Yes, it is terrible grammar, but that is how it is said. If you answered soda, you probably hail from either coast or some patches around St. Louis or Milwaukee.Pop lovers congregate mostly in the Midwest and western states. 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. If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen." A multipurpose Southernism. Positive thinking, Southern style. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. Who better to write about the risks of the Creek rising in revolt? If The Creek Don't Rise is a unique novel whose structure feels light and breezy and veers drastically from the standard formula found in fiction. It must surely be the creation of a fertile modern mind desiring to put the flesh of evidence on the dry bones of outright invention. This phrase can be intensified by the addition of the word "way," as in "way over yonder.". Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. Yes, I had heard of the Appalachians and how the culture spreads along those mountains over more than a dozen States. "Druthers" roughly translates to "I would rather," meaning, "If had things my way" The phrase is celebrated in song in the hilarious, Southern-inspired Broadway musical Li'l Abner, in which the title character sings "If I had my druthers, I'd druther have my druthers than anything else I know." (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? 25 Southern Grandparents' Sayings That Deserve a Comeback, Forgotten Etiquette Every Child Should Learn, Kimberly Schlapman and Her Family's Tea Cakes, Lauren Alaina Talks 'American Idol', Southern Manners, and Her Grandmother's Famous Recipe, 30 Quotes That Remind Us Why Southern Manners Are So Important. Whether you're talking about volume or value, a hill of beans isn't worth much. It has been noted that the phrase should be correctly written as God willing and the Creek dont rise. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. Throughout the years, through these floods, weve had several roads that have washed completely out, so you just dont know whats down there.. Have you ever seen a wet hen? It was bad as all get out. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. He told us about a young man who had been in the museum some weeks previous. 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.. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. You'll most often hear it coming out of Mama's mouth when the kids are running amok. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. Maya Rodale is a best-selling romance author. Jan 29, 2014 at 19:34 . The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. During the course of his 21 years in these positions he would oversee the longest period of peace with theCreek, only to watch his lifetime of work destroyed by a faction of this Indian Nation known as the Red Sticks during the War of 1812. Weiss has a unique voice. Quick, what do you call a soft drink? Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". We didnt. HARDY, Ark. "If the creek don't rise" is a slang phrase predominantly used in the Southeastern United States and can translate to "if all goes well." It's a more conditional action statement than the famous phrase "come hell or high water." Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . 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. As was the case with Dr Mattox, the remark is routinely attributed to first being said by Benjamin Hawkins. Given that many small farm streams were crossed without bridges, which worked find most of the time, a swollen stream would cause problems. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. Other words sites It may take the form of real or mock dialect, in variations like " Lor' willin' an' th' crick don' rise.". Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. Any of you word experts have solid information? "The Good Lord willing and the 'creek' don't rise" is just one of them. 1851. And that is the highest praise from me. I ate that up with a spoon and did my best to read them all. Since we'd never dare hang up the phone while Mama's chatting away, this may be the only way to end your conversation in a timely manner. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. "Like all great southern. Take a look at some of our favorite Southern sayings that we just couldn't live without. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. To understand Hawkins, I read a little further into his history. It presumably evokes occasional and unpredictably extreme rainfall in Appalachia, that has historically isolated one rural neighborhood or another temporarily inaccessible on several or many occasions. Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.". When the U.S. demanded that the murderers be handed over for punishment, the Creek executed them themselves (for the Ohio murders, not for the River Raisin battle and aftermath). "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. The History And Traditions That Make Hanukkah Light Up, Examples Of Ableist Language You May Not Realize Youre Using, Winter 2023 New Words: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, Fall In Love With 14 Captivating Valentines Day Words, Rizz And 7 Other Slang Trends That Explain The Internet In 2023, Win With Qi And This List Of Our Best Scrabble Words, We Had ChatGPT Coin Nonsense PhrasesAnd Then We Defined Them, Surprise! Mentioning Benjamin Hawkins is a masterstroke, since he was the General Superintendent for Indian Affairs between 1796 and 1818 and was principal Indian agent to the Creek nation; he became so close to its people that he learned their language, was adopted by them and married a Creek woman. The expression make groceries is a translation of the French faire son march (to do ones market shopping). Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. 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. A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. 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. No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. I have even heard the accents and many of the stories from various artists who escaped the confines of this culture and were successful in attaining fame and fortune for themselves. 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 doin hasnt been done yet. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. 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. Phrase [ edit] Lord willing and the creek don't rise ( idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances. "You've heard that old saying, 'I'll be there if the creek don't rise?' Well, they've all risen, and a lot of people are staying home because of that." 04 Mar 2023 03:30:05 Another publication, Proceedings of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge Jurisdiction, Volumes 88-89, coins the phrase: if the Lord is willing and the creek dont fire, we will so do. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. Youd be in a real fix then. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. The resulting warfare and predictable civilian losses in the South reportedly gave rise (using the Southern frontier penchant for willin as opposed to the educated willing) to the phrase which was then likely mistakenly attributed to Hawkins due to his Native American connections. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. by Leah Weiss. I see said the blind man to his deaf wife. Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. Which means if nothing crazy happens or anything out my control such as a natural disaster. The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. It is 1970, and we follow the story of a young Appalachian girl, Sadie Blue age 17, pregnant and newly married to an evil young man who is abusive. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. We are an American people, born under the flag of independence and if the Lord is willing and the creeks dont rise, the American people who made this country will come pretty near controlling it. According to http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/Benjamin_Hawkins: Generally recognized as the Creek Indian agent, Benjamin Hawkins also held the title of General Superintendent of all tribes south of the Ohio River. Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. I am feeling culture shock from reading this book. Historians and etymologists may cringe, but the modern usage of Lord willin and the creek (or crick) dont rise is about the stream, not the Creek tribe. If youre not using this phrase what are you waiting for? Affixes dictionary. (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). Your email address will not be published. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. Well, that might just push you over the edge, and as you lean back youre bound to say, Im as full as a tick. Itd be plumb crazy not to express yourself (and your full belly) with this fun, old Southern idiom. 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. You will have spotted that neither of these capitalises creek, which suggests they didnt have the Creek people in mind. 133 Copy quote. Oh, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. There is no typical Southern accent. 1851. Lately, though, I have learned to wince quickly and let it go. We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. 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!! The expression ". Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. What is the origin of the phrase the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise? When a fellers fixin to do something, theyre about to do it. 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. Often said as Lord willing and the creek dont rise, this expression means, with a little bit of luck and no unexpected problems, things should work out. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. 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. No matter where you go in Kentucky, the people often have some colorful expressions. A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. The phrase may be accompanied by a gesture indicating north, south, east, or west. From the beginning, the first narrative of Sadie Blue, which broke my heart from the first page, it feels like it will be her story. Over yonder down the road. Over yonder toward the water tower. If you use this phrase, you could be declaring any number of things: surprise, dissent, happiness. Donate via PayPal. In alternating first person narratives from a cast of characters that will be hard to forget, Leah Weiss took me to the mountain community called Baines Creek in the Appalachian Mountains in NC. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. You might say cocola. What better way to sweeten the sour than with a classic Southern libation? I was going to ask him why, but I had to shoot him. While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. 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. I see some folks walk easy and carry peace on their shoulders, but I been chained to a iron life." Leah Weiss, If the Creek Don't Rise 3 likes Like However, the first President to move to Washington was John Adams on 1 November 1800. DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . It is a modern error to presume that "the creek don't rise" is a grammatical error, so the fact that a speaker in the past was college educated would not be an argument against his having used the phrase. John Wayne. 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. A sister who is afraid of losing her brother and Sadie's grandmother and aunt, all tell their stories adding to Sadie's own. 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. 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. If the Creek Don't Rise is a collection of hard-used characters, tangled relationships, family angst, and fortitude. 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: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" Werefixin to tell you more Southernisms, and now were doing just that. And I mean took me there! If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. There is a lot of controversy about this fairly common folk saying. I will be at church on Sunday. A Quite certainly not. Im not going to wrestle with historians and their Creek uprising story. 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. 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. 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. 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. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. on, This page was last edited on 22 January 2022, at 17:42. Like trying to meet a friend for lunch but having the car breakdown on the way. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. [1][2], Classic versions of its use tend to be along the lines of "The good Lord willing, and the creek doesn't rise"i.e. It mentions Benjamin Hawkins of the late 18th century, who was asked by the US president to go back to Washington. What Do Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, And Lent Mean? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Page created 25 Feb. 2012, Problems viewing this page? Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining).
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