Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). She's not looking for sweets; she wants a hug and a kiss. 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 When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. "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 Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest. This Southern saying, God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise. Well, at least we thought we did.but maybe not. 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.". The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. The expression ". 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. Be it Gods will, or, we go to war, my plans will go according to one of those two choices. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. If you've just had a big Southern lunch, complete with cornbread, collard greens, and pecan pie, you're definitely full as a tick. This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 01:18. She's seventeen, pregnant and two weeks into her marriage to Roy Tupkin, after enduring brutal beatings, Sadie knows she has made a mistake. In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. 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. 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. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. Youll thank us later! Its not a recent change. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. "All get out" finds its way into Southern phrases constantly, and it intensifies any statement. 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. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. Neither provides any documentation: http://pub122.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm2.showMessage?topicID=191.topic, http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm#LordWillingAndTheCreek. Cookies and privacy You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-god1.htmLast modified: 25 February 2012. Stop right there! On his deathbed he married the Creek woman who had been his common-law wife. (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. 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. Oh, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. Positive thinking, Southern style. Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. 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. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. The first big battles in the Creek War were, indeed, attacks on white settlements, but it was not a matter of an uprising that threatened settlers, rather it was an outbreak of war between two armed groups in which whites and Indians sought each other out. Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. A Quite certainly not. No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. 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. Poor little doggy. 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.. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. 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. Get help and learn more about the design. 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. "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise" was later covered by Johnny Cash during his tenure at Sun, and a few of the other tracks here ", If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise", Learn how and when to remove this template message, "World Wide Words: God willing and the creek don't rise", "William Clark Green: 'Ringling Road' Album Review", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_the_Good_Lord%27s_Willing_and_the_Creek_Don%27t_Rise&oldid=1067282742, "If The Lord's Willing And The Creeks Don't Rise", song by, "If The Good Lord's Willing And The Creek Don't Rise", Lattie Moore, Jerry Reed 1961, "If The Good Lord's Willing", Ray Godfrey, arranged Jerry Reed, Tollie Records 1964, "(Be The Good Lord Willing) The Creek Don't Rise", Jivin' Gene, arranged Smith, Hall-Way Records 1964, "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise", with the lyric "God willin' an the creek don't rise, I'll be home again before this time next year." Used in a sentence - If the creek don't rise and God's willing, you should be able to see this video. 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). Because that is supposedly how the original author first wrote it. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. The Cree and the Creek lived over a thousand miles apart, (the Cree are from Canada), so we now have people contributing folk etymologies that are nonsense on their face. 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. You might say cocola. The thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). Speaking ofI declare, this now old-fashioned phrase acts as flustered response to an insult or an unbelievable story about someone who sadly made it into the rumor mill. 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. Select your currency from the list and click Donate. 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. It can be summarised as if all goes well. This is our creative way of saying that you shouldn't crow like a rooster about your wealth and belonging today, because it could all disappear tomorrow. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. 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. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. You may still hear it if you stop into a country store. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. 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. The doin hasnt been done yet. 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. This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda, Sarah, Jennifer and Porshajo. Eventually, you became a singular pronoun, and we lost the plural pronouns. Theres two or three creeks, he said. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. However, this is clearly one of those evolving language cases. Over yonder down the road. In the Deep South? Synonyms [ edit] (barring unforeseen circumstances): God willing, Lord willing Translations [ edit] show phrase References [ edit] Your first citation is much stronger than your second. by Leah Weiss. "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]. If the creek rises, travel will be impossible and Ill never get to Grannys. 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.". Any of you word experts have solid information? (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. The dialect is obscure and living conditions primitive with a feel more like the 1870's than the 1970's..so backward..so uncivilized..the men so brutal and lawless, and for Sadie Blue, life seems grave. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. In response to a request that he return to Washington D.C., he wrote, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Just wait till you see what Granny Gladys does..with a bit of help from Mother Nature..hehehe. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. If the Creek Don't Rise Quotes Showing 1-14 of 14 "Times like these I wonder if I ever been happy. What's The Difference Between Y'all And Ya'll? Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). 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. 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. Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. 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. 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. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. 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. Your email address will not be published. Maybe not all dogs were made for hunting some prefer the warmth of a fireplace and the comfort of your lap. 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. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. 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. Over yonder toward the water tower. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. A multipurpose Southernism. This one originates from the 19th century, when Carter Products marketed "Little Liver Pills" across the country. Whatscatawampus? When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. Older than Methuselah. Is this derivation correct? 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 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. 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. It was bad as all get out. 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. If you use this phrase, you could be declaring any number of things: surprise, dissent, happiness. 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). Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. "If God so wills, and as long as intense rain does not wash away bridges or parts of dirt roads, or cover roads too deeply for safely following them." Donate via PayPal. 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 CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty and entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending! The General replied to Stonewall Jackson that he would send troops "the Good Lord is willing and the Creeks don't rise (in rebellion). 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. Theres probably a connection between eternal damnation and tarnation. It mentions . In fact, Georgia and South Carolina produce more peaches than any other states in the South. Well, whether its Creek or creek, it would still have much of the same effectyou wont be going where you thought you would or could. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. Share. Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! 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. 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. This United Statesrelated article is a stub. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. You'll most often hear it coming out of Mama's mouth when the kids are running amok. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! What in tarnation? The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. 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 English language is forever changing. In his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." 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. "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. There is no reason to suppose the Indian variant is true. "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." Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. 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).. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . Actually this is not proven. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. False folk etymology. 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. A true Southern tradition. Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. Change). 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 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. It's often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! You will have spotted that neither of these capitalises creek, which suggests they didnt have the Creek people in mind. If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. There is no typical Southern accent. Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again. 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. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. 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. This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. Feller-citizens Im not customed to public speakin before sich highfalutin audiences. However, with the west in flames, both whites and Indians began organizing fighters. Firsts, Mines, Asks. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. What Do Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, And Lent Mean? 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. Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. 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! Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). The second contributor on the AOL site is simply repeating things without any understanding. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. 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. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. 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. It has been noted that the phrase should be correctly written as God willing and the Creek dont rise. Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? He was a politician and Indian agent. It's raining cats and dogs. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment.