Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. 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. Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. I'm a sucker for the well turned phrase and I was highlighting sentences here, one after another. Here are a couple of examples of this claim. Lyndon Johnsons wife Lady Bird was fond of the phrase, and she wasnt one to cast aspersions on native Americans. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. This book reminds me of that. At the time Hawkins was Congressman, he joined other well known Southeastern American leaders in negotiating a major treaty with the Creek and Cherokee at the South Carolina city of Hopewell. Stop right there! (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. Can't Never Could. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. 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).. DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Your email address will not be published. Your first citation is much stronger than your second. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. 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.". (LogOut/ We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. He told us about a young man who had been in the museum some weeks previous. 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. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. Learn how your comment data is processed. She's seventeen, pregnant and two weeks into her marriage to Roy Tupkin, after enduring brutal beatings, Sadie knows she has made a mistake. 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. In the Deep South? Its a one-size-fits-all reply that can both express sympathy and insult someone, depending on the delivery. It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. God willing and the creek don't rise If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Is this derivation correct? And yes, they roll their eyes, too. (LogOut/ The phrase may be accompanied by a gesture indicating north, south, east, or west. 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. 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. In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett OHara says: I do declare, Frank Kennedy, if you dont look dashing with that new set of whiskers!. There is no reason to suppose the Indian variant is true. "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. However, if you're from the South, you know that sometimes there's just no other way to get your point across. Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. If the creek rises, travel will be impossible and Ill never get to Grannys. https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=70955250. 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. 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. Someone reminded me not to be reminded of you. Your email address will not be published. It can be summarised as if all goes well. "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." "Druthers" roughly translates to "I would rather," meaning, "If had things my way" The phrase is celebrated in song in the hilarious, Southern-inspired Broadway musical Li'l Abner, in which the title character sings "If I had my druthers, I'd druther have my druthers than anything else I know." Take a look at some of our favorite Southern sayings that we just couldn't live without. Kicked in the gut and sucker punched with one of the best books I have ever read. From the start there's been a film of dingy on my days.. 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. 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). And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. He would tell the audience that we would meet again, "If the good Lord's willin', and the creek don't rise". This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. (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.). 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. 24 of 30. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. It's almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head. "Like all great southern. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. The second contributor on the AOL site is simply repeating things without any understanding. It was bad as all get out. This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 01:18. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. purchase. Older than Methuselah. A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. 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. 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. Doh! In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. But, in the South, if your boss says that dog wont hunt in a meeting, it probably means your suggestion or idea needs improvement. The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. The thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. 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. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. If the Creek Don't Rise. It has been noted that the phrase should be correctly written as God willing and the Creek dont rise. While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. 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? Given that many small farm streams were crossed without bridges, which worked find most of the time, a swollen stream would cause problems. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. Quick, what do you call a soft drink? As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers? Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). 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! It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. An odd few (6% of Americans) do use soft drink, according to the Pop vs. They had a conversation in which the phrase was discussed and noted as being about the Creek Indians. "All get out" finds its way into Southern phrases constantly, and it intensifies any statement. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. To cover your bases you might say, "I'll see you then if the creek don't rise." 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 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. 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. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. Well, hells bells. Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in return for an unbiased review. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. 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 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. 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! Get help and learn more about the design. 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. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). I have even heard the accents and many of the stories from various artists who escaped the confines of this culture and were successful in attaining fame and fortune for themselves. 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 only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.". 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!. It mentions . I was going to ask him why, but I had to shoot him. Be it Gods will, or, we go to war, my plans will go according to one of those two choices. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. The doin hasnt been done yet. the creek don't rise. "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." A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" I grew up with that saying and Ive said it more times than I can count. 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. 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. Someone kicked in with we say cricks. After eating a big, delicious Southern dinner Granny just made, you have to finish up with a slice of sweet potato pie, right? It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. It can be summarised as "if all goes well". She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. 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. 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. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. 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. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. Origin debaters point to Col. Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina, a Continental Congress senator. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. Yes, I had heard of the Appalachians and how the culture spreads along those mountains over more than a dozen States. 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. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. Chief Rose is asking drivers to be cautious while out and about. Maybe not all dogs were made for hunting some prefer the warmth of a fireplace and the comfort of your lap. All rights reserved. Because that is supposedly how the original author first wrote it. That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. I see said the blind man to his deaf wife. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). What in tarnation? "If the Creek Don't Rise" We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us.