if the creek don't rise saying if the creek don't rise saying

It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. Change). origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise" - Factual Questions The doin hasnt been done yet. 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.". Look up Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! He wrote it in response to a request from the President to return to our Nations Capital and the reference is not to a creek, but The Creek Indian Nation. Lord Willing and the creek don't rise - English for Students It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. (LogOut/ 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. Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: Quite certainly not. False folk etymology. It can be summarised as "if all goes well". Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty and entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending! This United Statesrelated article is a stub. The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. And that is the highest praise from me. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. 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. Positive thinking, Southern style. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. Weiss has a unique voice. "If the Creek Don't Rise" We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us. 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. 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. Wow! Well, I found it. Some newspaper clippings are harder to determine which meaning they meant. But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? 15 Kentucky Sayings Other People Wouldn't Understand - OnlyInYourState Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in return for an unbiased review. Southern Slang: If The Creek Don't Rise | What does it mean? | Ask A Can't Never Could. Werefixin to tell you more Southernisms, and now were doing just that. A multipurpose Southernism. 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. If the Good Lord is Willing and the Creek don't rise 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! 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. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. 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. I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. In his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Oh, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise. If the Creek Don't Rise. 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 refer to itno matter the brand or flavoras Coke, chances are you grew up in the South. A young woman goes missing and has the town both fearful and wondering. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. If The Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss. The second contributor on the AOL site is simply repeating things without any understanding. Have you ever seen a wet hen? Phrase [ edit] Lord willing and the creek don't rise ( idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances. World Wide Words tries to record at least a part of this shifting wordscape by featuring new words, word histories, words in the news, and the curiosities of native English speech. 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. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. 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. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise - Southern Love A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. 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. 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. 133 Copy quote. 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. 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. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. 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. 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. 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. 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). If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. Apparently Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. All the ones I know from growin up : r/ShitSouthernersSay (Or maybe the Piggly Wiggly, a Southern market chain that originated in Memphis, Tennessee). So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. 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. 'If The Creek Don't Rise' Traces Webs Of Hurt And Help : NPR Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. "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. 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. The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. If youre not using this phrase what are you waiting for? 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. A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. 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. Lyndon Johnsons wife Lady Bird was fond of the phrase, and she wasnt one to cast aspersions on native Americans. 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 sister who is afraid of losing her brother and Sadie's grandmother and aunt, all tell their stories adding to Sadie's own. Because this is a progressive verb (youll make progress with it for sure), remember You were fixin to patch the hole in the wall. Never say you fixed to do it! Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. Which means if nothing crazy happens or anything out my control such as a natural disaster. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. 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. Youre still going to the grocery store. Eventually, you became a singular pronoun, and we lost the plural pronouns. The expression make groceries is a translation of the French faire son march (to do ones market shopping). 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 the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.". After eating a big, delicious Southern dinner Granny just made, you have to finish up with a slice of sweet potato pie, right? She's seventeen, pregnant and two weeks into her marriage to Roy Tupkin, after enduring brutal beatings, Sadie knows she has made a mistake. 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. Pot callin the kettle black. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com A Quite certainly not. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. 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 Maya Rodale is a best-selling romance author. Required fields are marked *. "Like all great southern writers, Leah Weiss's magic turns the local into the universal." Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author, on All The Little Hopes. While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. 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. "The Good Lord willing and the 'creek' don't rise" is just one of them. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. Affixes dictionary. [2] In the Reed song and Cash cover the verses vary the rhyme, so the opening line commences: If the good Lord's willing and the creek stays down I'll be in your arms time the moon come around. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. "Come Hell or high water" vs "Lord willing and the creek don't rise" 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. If the Creek Don't Rise Quotes by Leah Weiss - Goodreads Thats a mouthful, but we lumped these all together because they are allsubstitutes for (God) d*mn it. (LogOut/ If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise. "Well I s'wanee" evokes the Southern Suwannee River. (Yes, it is terrible grammar, but that is how it is said. Jan 29, 2014 at 19:34 . 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.. He was a politician and Indian agent. "All get out" finds its way into Southern phrases constantly, and it intensifies any statement. Tensions between settlers and both tribes had been rising following the Treaty of Augusta and the land cessions of 1782-1783. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. What is the origin of the phrase the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise? Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." 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. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. It has been noted that the phrase should be correctly written as God willing and the Creek dont rise. 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. In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett OHara says: I do declare, Frank Kennedy, if you dont look dashing with that new set of whiskers!. 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. He told us about a young man who had been in the museum some weeks previous. Over yonder toward the water tower. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. 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. 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!! "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]. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. From the start there's been a film of dingy on my days.. Donate via PayPal. 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've never forgotten it and it's drove me nuts because I would love a copy of it. God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise | Native Heritage Project 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. 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!. 1851. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. The English language is forever changing. Fans of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek will love this intimate insight into a fiercely proud, tenacious community and relish the voices of the forgotten folks of Baines Creek. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. the creek don't rise. Let me love you again, give me one more try. 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. But despite its gentle execution, this story delivers some of the heaviest of punches and invites the reader to step outside of the book for a spell 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? 40 OLD PHRASES AND SAYINGS - Grammy's Grid If the Creek Don't Rise: Tales From the South Kindle Edition She's not looking for sweets; she wants a hug and a kiss. 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. 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. If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen." 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". Baines Creek, high up in the Appalachian mountain, a poor place filled with impoverished people, a place where moonshine is king. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. A true Southern tradition. But I know of just four instances from that century. Turn around, and please dont drive through it. Maybe not all dogs were made for hunting some prefer the warmth of a fireplace and the comfort of your lap. We like to read this as one of the greatest Southern encouragements, but, like most of these phrases, you can use it however you'd like. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. (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.). In the Deep South? Translated, this means: "We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us." Any of you word experts have solid information? 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). If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). 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. 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. When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. And I mean took me there! Chief Rose is asking drivers to be cautious while out and about. 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. A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. What in tarnation? No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. 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. All rights reserved. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. The word you use for a fizzy, carbonated drink reveals a lot more about you than you know. Hardy citizens awoken by first responders urging evacuation If the creek rises, travel will be impossible and Ill never get to Grannys. Youll thank us later! The General replied to Stonewall Jackson that he would send troops "the Good Lord is willing and the Creeks don't rise (in rebellion). Is this derivation correct? Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest. An odd few (6% of Americans) do use soft drink, according to the Pop vs. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. Stop right there! This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. It mentions Benjamin Hawkins of the late 18th century, who was asked by the US president to go back to Washington. Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). 15. Other words sites There, we listened to amazing stories told by Dr. John Mattox. I absolutely loved the southern voice of these characters throughout this book. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. If The Creek Don't Rise. Unarguable Southern criticism. Over yonder past the cotton field. Your email address will not be published. 'Creek don't rise' is a phrase with possibly more than one meaning 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). The clipping below from 1892 is a reference to flooding waterways not allowing the postmaster to get to his office. 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. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. 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. 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. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.". Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. 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 the Creek Don't Rise Quotes Showing 1-14 of 14 "Times like these I wonder if I ever been happy. In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. The proper phrase is Lord willing and the Creek don't rise. Theres two or three creeks, he said. 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. 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. Those who live on Valley Drive along the Spring River in Hardy awoke around 3 Friday morning to first responders urging them to leave their homes due to rising water. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. The 1800s and 1900s were much simpler times, as people didn't have the luxuries afforded in modern times. It mentions . However, with the west in flames, both whites and Indians began organizing fighters. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! 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 approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. 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. TOP 25 QUOTES BY JOHN WAYNE (of 133) | A-Z Quotes You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. No Bigger Than a Minnow in a Fishing Pond, A Rooster One Day and A Feather Duster the Next, If You Know These Sayings, You Definitely Grew Up in the South, Only Real Southerners Know the Meaning of "Putting On the Dog", Things Only Southern Moms Say To Their Daughters, Things Only Southerners Say When It Snows.