Cant never could is a reminder that if you dont even try, you wont ever accomplish your goal. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. "He broke bout every piece of sweet in you. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. Runnin around like a chicken with it's head . Do You Know These Sizzlin Southern Sayings. Its a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. (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.). It's often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. Thats a mouthful, but we lumped these all together because they are allsubstitutes for (God) d*mn it. Hardy citizens awoken by first responders urging evacuation, Lawsuit filed against Summit Utilities over price gouging, 2023 2A State Basketball Tournament: EPC boys fall to Marshall in Quarterfinals, 2023 2A State Basketball Tournament: Bay boys fall to Bigelow in Quarterfinals, Arkansas State womens basketball falls to Southern Miss in SBC Quarterfinals, Arkansas women's basketball falls to #1 South Carolina in SEC Tournament, Fast Break Friday Night (3/3/23): Jonesboro boys advance to 6A state semifinals. God willing and the creek don't rise If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. 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 In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. Cookies and privacy 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). "All get out" finds its way into Southern phrases constantly, and it intensifies any statement. But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? You might say cocola. 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. Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. 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! 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. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. !, Reckon has ancestry tracing all the way back to the 1000s (and maybe older still), and originally means to count, calculate.. The expression ". Donate via PayPal. 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. 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. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. purchase. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. Your first citation is much stronger than your second. The word you use for a fizzy, carbonated drink reveals a lot more about you than you know. HARDY, Ark. 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. In the Deep South? 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). This was an extremely enjoyable read! The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. If you're trying to be nice, but you just can't quite let it go, "bless your heart" is a go-to. To understand Hawkins, I read a little further into his history. This phrase isn't about physical appearance. Neither provides any documentation: http://pub122.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm2.showMessage?topicID=191.topic, http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm#LordWillingAndTheCreek. Phrase [ edit] Lord willing and the creek don't rise ( idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. I've never forgotten it and it's drove me nuts because I would love a copy of 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." 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. 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. Theres two or three creeks, he said. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. 4.5 stars! Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. It's almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head. (LogOut/ Quick, what do you call a soft drink? Its not a recent change. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. 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? There is a lot of controversy about this fairly common folk saying. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. by Leah Weiss. Translated, this means: "We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us." 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. Funny Phrases ben stanczyk 10/25/01 Well, I found it. The proper phrase is Lord willing and the Creek don't rise. A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers? Be it Gods will, or, we go to war, my plans will go according to one of those two choices. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. 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. Anecdotal evidence from people who have got in touch with me down the years suggests that it has been in regular use throughout the lifetimes of some elderly folk in parts of the US, either in the form you give or as the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise. It is a modern error to presume that "the creek don't rise" is a grammatical error, so the fact that a speaker in the past was college educated would not be an argument against his having used the phrase. The expression is incorrectly attributed on modern social media[citation needed] to an Indian agent, Benjamin Hawkins, in the late 18th century in a rumored letter not found in any archive to the U.S. President. Can't Never Could. 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. Paperback, 305 pages. 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. We didnt. 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. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. 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).. Someone reminded me not to be reminded of you. Its a one-size-fits-all reply that can both express sympathy and insult someone, depending on the delivery. 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. 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. (LogOut/ As I was in a museum, I felt confident in repeating the knowledge to others as fact. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. Page created 25 Feb. 2012, Problems viewing this page? The most interesting often hail from our older generations, such as the WWII era and those raised by them. Your email address will not be published. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? 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 A true Southern tradition. Well, at least we thought we did.but maybe not. DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). And that is the highest praise from me. "If the Creek Don't Rise" We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us. If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. 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. (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). But I know of just four instances from that century. 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 . 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. 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. Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. Farmers know that if you do something 'til the cows come home, it's going to take all day. "If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.". 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. Any of you word experts have solid information? I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. A young woman goes missing and has the town both fearful and wondering. The English language is forever changing. The General replied to Stonewall Jackson that he would send troops "the Good Lord is willing and the Creeks don't rise (in rebellion). A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. In his response, he was said to write, God willing and the Creek dont rise. Because he capitalized the word Creek it is deduced that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. 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. All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-god1.htmLast modified: 25 February 2012. 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. It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. Over yonder down the road. Ireckon is the way many Southerners get to surmising about something or other. Get help and learn more about the design. 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! You will have spotted that neither of these capitalises creek, which suggests they didnt have the Creek people in mind. 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. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. 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. He was a politician and Indian agent. Copyright 2023 KAIT. Ain't got no dog in that race. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. 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. 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. Actually this is not proven. The expression "the creek don't rise" is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. 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. He was a politician and Indian agent. We do our best to keep our promises, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up. The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. 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.. Kicked in the gut and sucker punched with one of the best books I have ever read. Accents vary by regionand sometimes even city to city. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. 132 Copy quote. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. If you refer to itno matter the brand or flavoras Coke, chances are you grew up in the South. 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.. For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. 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. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. Wow! A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. 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. If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. The thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. 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. And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. 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. 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.". It completely nailed the "mountain living" that I remembered my grandmother talking about. False folk etymology. Given that many small farm streams were crossed without bridges, which worked find most of the time, a swollen stream would cause problems. We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. 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. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. Other words sites the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. 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. It may take the form of real or mock dialect, in variations like " Lor' willin' an' th' crick don' rise.". No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. It was bad as all get out. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. 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. 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.". The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. In his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." I absolutely loved the southern voice of these characters throughout this book. "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." The doin hasnt been done yet. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. Lyndon Johnsons wife Lady Bird was fond of the phrase, and she wasnt one to cast aspersions on native Americans. Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again. The earliest example known is this mock rustic speech: Feller-citizens Im not customed to public speakin before sich highfalutin audiences. 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 expression make groceries is a translation of the French faire son march (to do ones market shopping). There is no reason to suppose the Indian variant is true. 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. 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!! This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In other words, Ill make it to Grandmas if the indians dont go on the warpath. And I mean took me there! Firsts, Mines, Asks. 24 of 30. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. Youre still going to the grocery store. If you've just had a big Southern lunch, complete with cornbread, collard greens, and pecan pie, you're definitely full as a tick. I was surprised as all get out. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. Change). When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." Dont worry, if youre helping a friend make groceries, youre not expected to create food from scratch. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Yelling out this humorous backronym for sh*tmight just tame the anger a bit. 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. 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. Unarguable Southern criticism. "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. Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest. 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. 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. It happens often during a Southern summer, when the heat rises and the temperatures shoot past 100. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. There, we listened to amazing stories told by Dr. John Mattox. If you hear this one, you should probably pause a moment. The Lafayette gazette(Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. 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. https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=70955250. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. This phrase can be intensified by the addition of the word "way," as in "way over yonder.". Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. Yes, I had heard of the Appalachians and how the culture spreads along those mountains over more than a dozen States. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. Over yonder toward the water tower. 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. Which means if nothing crazy happens or anything out my control such as a natural disaster. [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 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. I see said the blind man to his deaf wife. Share. In alternating first person narratives from a cast of characters that will be hard to forget, Leah Weiss took me to the mountain community called Baines Creek in the Appalachian Mountains in NC. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. You may still hear it if you stop into a country store. in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. All rights reserved. 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. 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. 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!. There's two or three creeks," he said. But today Ive stumbled across the claim that it refers to an uprising by the Creek (or Cree) Indians. 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!. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. Someone kicked in with we say cricks. 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. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. 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. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not rise at all. Something needed to fill in the gap: Yall is one solution associated with the South, with all generally serving to clarify more than one you is being addressed. 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. If The Creek Don't Rise is a unique novel whose structure feels light and breezy and veers drastically from the standard formula found in fiction. 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. Some newspaper clippings are harder to determine which meaning they meant. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. It mentions . The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s.