The English language is forever changing. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. Faire can mean both do and make. This phrase entered the Southern vernacular via Louisiana and is in regular use in the New Orleans area. It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. 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. My officers and fire department, we went along the river houses and notified everybody and recommended evacuation, said Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose. Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). The earliest example known is this mock rustic speech: Feller-citizens Im not customed to public speakin before sich highfalutin audiences. Someone kicked in with we say cricks. (LogOut/ Just wait till you see what Granny Gladys does..with a bit of help from Mother Nature..hehehe. If The Creek Don't Rise. As I was in a museum, I felt confident in repeating the knowledge to others as fact. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. 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. 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). Can't Never Could. 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. Be it Gods will, or, we go to war, my plans will go according to one of those two choices. Youd be in a real fix then. 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. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. And Lord have mercy, wait till you meet Birdie with her gamy birds-nest hairdo and top notch fine feathered companion Samuel.and all his buddies. Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review. Learn how your comment data is processed. What better way to sweeten the sour than with a classic Southern libation? It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. 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. It completely nailed the "mountain living" that I remembered my grandmother talking about. 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. It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. Youll thank us later! What in tarnation? The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. Your email address will not be published. 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. Translated, this means: "We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us." Its a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. Positive thinking, Southern style. If someone tells you that you've got gumption, you should thank them, and then walk a little taller, because you've received a lovely Southern compliment. You gonna do nothing?". A young woman goes missing and has the town both fearful and wondering. Weiss has a unique voice. 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. I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. Wow! Yes, I had heard of the Appalachians and how the culture spreads along those mountains over more than a dozen States. Over yonder toward the water tower. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Throughout the years, through these floods, weve had several roads that have washed completely out, so you just dont know whats down there.. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. Affixes dictionary. When I was growing up, this was something we said all of the time. Did you know the saying God willing and the Creek dont rise was in reference to the Creek Indians and not a body of water? In response to a request that he return to Washington D.C., he wrote, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." 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. from The New York Times: If there is a good state of the world in 2021 the Lord willing and the creek don't rise everyone and all Blue Dogs in office needs to recognize . Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. I was surprised as all get out. Following that treaty John Siever formed the state of Franklin from land previously claimed by North Carolina but never ceded by the Indian tribes. For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. "Like all great southern. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." Look up Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. 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. I will be at church on Sunday. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. Cant never could is a reminder that if you dont even try, you wont ever accomplish your goal. Pot callin the kettle black. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise. What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. Have you ever seen a wet hen? 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. A rising creek could spell trouble, as it can lead to flooding and other issues. You may still hear it if you stop into a country store. But I know of just four instances from that century. Depending on where you are, youre likely to hear words combined together (gonna for going to) and different vowel sounds than youre used to, including mah for my and git for get.Git has been in use since the 16th century all over the country, but is particularly common in the South, where it appears in everything from classic literature (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird) to personal correspondence (I want you to write me as soon as you git this letter, from a letter dating back to the Civil War). 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 preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). 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. He was a politician and Indian agent. [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. 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! 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. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. But in following verses the rhyme changes through "creeks don't rise", "creek stay low", back to "creeks don't rise". (Yes, it is terrible grammar, but that is how it is said. It mentions . (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.). "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 An odd few (6% of Americans) do use soft drink, according to the Pop vs. From another source Some historians attribute Benjamin Hawkins as having been the first person to ever say these words and he did so in a letter to the President of the United States. If you're trying to be nice, but you just can't quite let it go, "bless your heart" is a go-to. I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. purchase. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Neither provides any documentation: http://pub122.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm2.showMessage?topicID=191.topic, http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm#LordWillingAndTheCreek. What Do Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, And Lent Mean? Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. Paperback, 305 pages. The states involved sent Hawkins,Andrew Pickens(South Carolina), Joseph Martin (Georgia) andLachlan McIntosh(Continental representative, Georgia) to negotiate a treaty to end the fighting. Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. I am usually among those who bristle at change in usage. 1851. 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.. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. This 19th-century phrase was once used to refer to some fierce, imaginary beast, until we went off course and adopted the current meaning of "awry.". Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. The distinct English dialect of the American South, which has a close relationship with Black English (African American Vernacular English), is fascinatingand plenty lively. Actually this is not proven. A true Southern tradition. It can be summarised as if all goes well. They had a conversation in which the phrase was discussed and noted as being about the Creek Indians. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. 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. Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. From the start there's been a film of dingy on my days.. Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. A different style for the story telling in this as we hear from many of the people in this town and Sadie Blues own story is woven through the fabric of theirs. 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. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. A true Southern tradition. Tensions between settlers and both tribes had been rising following the Treaty of Augusta and the land cessions of 1782-1783. Origin debaters point to Col. Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina, a Continental Congress senator. "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. This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. There's two or three creeks," he said. Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again. If the Creek Dont Rise by Leah Weiss is a 2017 Sourcebooks Landmark publication. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. It happens often during a Southern summer, when the heat rises and the temperatures shoot past 100. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/Benjamin_Hawkins, Follow Thoughts and Ponderances on WordPress.com. This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 01:18. A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. The thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. Older than Methuselah. All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-god1.htmLast modified: 25 February 2012. There is a lot of controversy about this fairly common folk saying. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. 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. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! John Wayne. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. Yet here I stand before you a speckled hermit, wrapt in the risen-sun counterpane of my popilarity, an intendin, Providence permittin, and the creek dont rise, to go it blind!. In the Deep South? When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. 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. Take a look at some of our favorite Southern sayings that we just couldn't live without. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. 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. HARDY, Ark. 1851. A multipurpose Southernism. The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. 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 No matter where you go in Kentucky, the people often have some colorful expressions. On his deathbed he married the Creek woman who had been his common-law wife. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." Well, hells bells. It's often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying. Like trying to meet a friend for lunch but having the car breakdown on the way. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. Most of the ones on paved roads had bridges or culverts by that time, but not all of them and everyone still clearly knew what that saying meant even if the threat wasnt very real anymore. 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. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. I absolutely loved the southern voice of these characters throughout this book. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: Quite certainly not. What is the origin of the phrase the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise? Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. 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. 133 Copy quote. Feller-citizens Im not customed to public speakin before sich highfalutin audiences. The doin hasnt been done yet. While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. 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. It was set in the Ozark mountains featuring what some people called a witch. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. 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. "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." Is this derivation correct? Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. Because that is supposedly how the original author first wrote it. But if the supposed letter was ever written, it doesnt now exist in any archive that any researcher has so far found (his letters have been published, if anybody would like to check). Yelling out this humorous backronym for sh*tmight just tame the anger a bit. 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. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. 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. Its not a recent change. 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. 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. I was going to ask him why, but I had to shoot him. 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. The underscore of that sentiment would be that he married his common-law wife on his deathbed and she was of the Creek Indians. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. 4.5 stars! Theres nothing more Southern than a lively Hey, yall! And dont you dare think of spelling it yallSouthern Living has decreed this contraction of you all is spelled one way, and one way only. Runnin around like a chicken with it's head . However, with the west in flames, both whites and Indians began organizing fighters. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. In other words, Ill make it to Grandmas if the indians dont go on the warpath. by Leah Weiss. [3] The capitalization of the word Creek supposedly referred to the Creek Indian tribe rather than a body of water.[4][5]. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. 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! Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. 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. Im not going to wrestle with historians and their Creek uprising story. We didnt. The 1800s and 1900s were much simpler times, as people didn't have the luxuries afforded in modern times. Jan 29, 2014 at 19:34 . If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. 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. This article about the English language is a stub. However, if you're from the South, you know that sometimes there's just no other way to get your point across. 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 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. 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. Take a look here Michael: http://www.genealogynation.com/creek/. 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. If the Creek Don't Rise is a collection of hard-used characters, tangled relationships, family angst, and fortitude. PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. I doubt it will ever be possible to prove the source of some of these old sayings,but they sure are alot of funThis post set me a thinkin bout some things we grew up saying that we took from our eldersfor example when one is astonished you say Oh my Stars! Or when you havent seen someone in awhile you say I aint seen Hide nor Hair of em since..and there was plenty of times I was toldquit rootin around an causin such a ruckass!usually refering to me being in Granmas gardenand one can never forget the simpleSkeedaddle! Now the devil may knowWhere those sayings come from. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Whatscatawampus? Cookies and privacy
To cover your bases you might say, "I'll see you then if the creek don't rise." And this is one appearance in a newspaper: 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. At the time Hawkins was Congressman, he joined other well known Southeastern American leaders in negotiating a major treaty with the Creek and Cherokee at the South Carolina city of Hopewell. Though youre likely to hear Southernisms such as hold your horses and pretty as a peach nationwide, youll likely only hear the following from a true Southerner. Kicked in the gut and sucker punched with one of the best books I have ever read. There, we listened to amazing stories told by Dr. John Mattox. Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! 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. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. This one originates from the 19th century, when Carter Products marketed "Little Liver Pills" across the country. Change). It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. 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. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.". A friend of mine told me to shoot first and ask questions later. Catawampus(or, cattywampus) may have been popularized by Brits who delighted in parodying Southern vernacular. This phrase isn't about physical appearance. "Lord willing and the creek don't rise" is a sort of backwoods phrase that has the same meaning, but is more folksy and less devoted. It took a further decade for it to become popular as a supposedly hayseed utterance, sometimes as and the crick dont rise to reflect a regional form. Lately, though, I have learned to wince quickly and let it go. "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. He told us about a young man who had been in the museum some weeks previous. the creek don't rise. I ate that up with a spoon and did my best to read them all. 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. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. It can also be the opening to striking a bargain, sharing a strongly held opinion, or offering a piece of advice you may or may not want to hear. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself."
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