if the creek don't rise saying

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. In the Deep South? The proper phrase is Lord willing and the Creek don't rise. 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. He would tell the audience that we would meet again, "If the good Lord's willin', and the creek don't rise". World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. Whatscatawampus? 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. 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. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. 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. 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. Is this derivation correct? A friend of mine told me to shoot first and ask questions later. But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? If the Good Lord is Willing and the Creek don't rise Can't Never Could. An odd few (6% of Americans) do use soft drink, according to the Pop vs. Statements of the form "God/Lord willing and (some other condition being met)" are ancient extensions of simple acceptance of God's will in phrases like God willing and Lord willing. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. "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. 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. 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. 15 Odd Southern Sayings Their Origins - Bourbon and Boots 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. They had a conversation in which the phrase was discussed and noted as being about the Creek Indians. It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. 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. If the Creek Don't Rise Quotes Showing 1-14 of 14 "Times like these I wonder if I ever been happy. 1851. PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" False folk etymology. It may take the form of real or mock dialect, in variations like " Lor' willin' an' th' crick don' rise.". 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. Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. Region 8 News on Twitter: ""You've heard that old saying, 'I'll be Apparently Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary. 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. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. Take a look here Michael: http://www.genealogynation.com/creek/. Synonyms [ edit] (barring unforeseen circumstances): God willing, Lord willing Translations [ edit] show phrase References [ edit] Other words sites According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. 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. A multipurpose Southernism. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda, Sarah, Jennifer and Porshajo. If the Creek Don't Rise: Tales From the South Kindle Edition We do our best to keep our promises, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up. 15. This one originates from the 19th century, when Carter Products marketed "Little Liver Pills" across the country. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. Signed in November, 1785, A Treaty With the Cherokee (the technical name of the Treaty of Hopewell) created the first rift between theCherokee Nationand the Chickamauga Cherokee that would not end until the Chickamauga went West following the Revolt of the Young Chiefs. Here are a couple of examples of this claim. 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. Where did this contraction, popular in both African American English and Southern American English, come from? If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise. But today Ive stumbled across the claim that it refers to an uprising by the Creek (or Cree) Indians. HARDY, Ark. What's The Difference Between Y'all And Ya'll? DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . "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." "The Good Lord willing and the 'creek' don't rise" is just one of them. It can be summarised as "if all goes well". Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise - phrase meaning and origin 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. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. Over yonder down the road. Cant never could is a reminder that if you dont even try, you wont ever accomplish your goal. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. If the creek rises, travel will be impossible and Ill never get to Grannys. 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. 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 Lafayette gazette(Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. Tensions between settlers and both tribes had been rising following the Treaty of Augusta and the land cessions of 1782-1783. 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. 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 you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. If you're trying to be nice, but you just can't quite let it go, "bless your heart" is a go-to. Unarguable Southern criticism. 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 is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. And, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, come March of next year, I'll be 225 years old. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. Neither provides any documentation: http://pub122.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm2.showMessage?topicID=191.topic, http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm#LordWillingAndTheCreek. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. If The Creek Don't Rise Copyright 2023 KAIT. The creek don't rise - Wikipedia We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review. Positive thinking, Southern style. 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. "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. Runnin around like a chicken with it's head . Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-god1.htmLast modified: 25 February 2012. Youre still going to the grocery store. Unlike the United States Postal Service, whose motto proclaims "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night" will keep them from their routes, sometimes a Southern visit is thwarted by a rising creek or other unexpected bump in the road. To cover your bases you might say, "I'll see you then if the creek don't rise." 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! If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen." Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not rise at all. 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 She's seventeen, pregnant and two weeks into her marriage to Roy Tupkin, after enduring brutal beatings, Sadie knows she has made a mistake. QFrom Bob Scala: An item that has been floating around the internet claims that the expression God willing and the creek dont rise referred to the Creek Indians, not a body of water. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. 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. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! Do You Know These Sizzlin Southern Sayings. I was surprised as all get out. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. and the word HOPE. Quick, what do you call a soft drink? It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. Select your currency from the list and click Donate. It completely nailed the "mountain living" that I remembered my grandmother talking about. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. Doh! 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. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. 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. The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. The second contributor on the AOL site is simply repeating things without any understanding. 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.. You'll most often hear it coming out of Mama's mouth when the kids are running amok. Look up Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. The doin hasnt been done yet. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 132 Copy quote. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. 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). When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. But, in the South, if your boss says that dog wont hunt in a meeting, it probably means your suggestion or idea needs improvement. origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise" - Factual Questions Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." If the Creek Don't Rise: A Novel - Leah Weiss - Google Books It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. I ate that up with a spoon and did my best to read them all. It can be summarised as if all goes well. Theres two or three creeks, he said. 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. 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. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. The English language is forever changing. Your email address will not be published. the creek don't rise. 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. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. 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. 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. purchase. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. So, if during the time of Benjamin Hawkins life, the Creek Indians were experiencing the longest period of peace, why would he fear that they would rise. 30 Phrases Only Southerners Use My officers and fire department, we went along the river houses and notified everybody and recommended evacuation, said Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose. Its a one-size-fits-all reply that can both express sympathy and insult someone, depending on the delivery. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. The thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. 40 OLD PHRASES AND SAYINGS - Grammy's Grid 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! It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. I was going to ask him why, but I had to shoot him. I am feeling culture shock from reading this book. The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. 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. However, with the west in flames, both whites and Indians began organizing fighters. Hawkins served under George Washington as General Superintendent for Indian Affairs (17961818) and had responsibility for the Native American tribes south of the Ohio River, and was principal Indian agent to the Creek Indians. It was bad as all get out. (Or maybe the Piggly Wiggly, a Southern market chain that originated in Memphis, Tennessee). 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!. God willing and the creek don't rise - World Wide Words Hardy citizens awoken by first responders urging evacuation Variants substitute "God" or "Good Lord" (with or without "the") for "Lord", and substitute "crick" or "river" for "creek", or capitalize it as "Creek" or "Creeks" based on confusion with the Creek Indian tribe.