This Southern saying, God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise. 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. 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. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. A sister who is afraid of losing her brother and Sadie's grandmother and aunt, all tell their stories adding to Sadie's own. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. Stop right there! We admit that we've heard this Southernism more than once. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. Well, at least we thought we did.but maybe not. [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. Cookies and privacy Well, hells bells. Get help and learn more about the design. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. "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." We do our best to keep our promises, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up. 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. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . All rights reserved. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. 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. Dont worry, if youre helping a friend make groceries, youre not expected to create food from scratch. Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. 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. Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. 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. Let me love you again, give me one more try. We didnt. 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. It mentions . To understand Hawkins, I read a little further into his history. If you hear this one, you should probably pause a moment. I am feeling culture shock from reading this book. Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. Does a bear shit in the woods? The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. 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. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not rise at all. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote. "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. What better way to sweeten the sour than with a classic Southern libation? There is no reason to suppose the Indian variant is true. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. 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. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". "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 It may take the form of real or mock dialect, in variations like " Lor' willin' an' th' crick don' rise.". You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. Over yonder toward the water tower. Werefixin to tell you more Southernisms, and now were doing just that. The English language is forever changing. While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. 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!. In the Deep South? The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. 132 Copy quote. 1851. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. Do You Know These Sizzlin Southern Sayings. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. 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. A rising creek could spell trouble, as it can lead to flooding and other issues. 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 . The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. 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. If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. God willing and the creek don't rise If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. And I mean took me there! New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. 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. 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.. Your email address will not be published. Pot callin the kettle black. 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. Throughout the years, through these floods, weve had several roads that have washed completely out, so you just dont know whats down there.. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. As was the case with Dr Mattox, the remark is routinely attributed to first being said by Benjamin Hawkins. This phrase isn't about physical appearance. 15. (Or maybe the Piggly Wiggly, a Southern market chain that originated in Memphis, Tennessee). Runnin around like a chicken with it's head . 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. The Creek so-called civil war of 1812 involving the Red Stick faction, and their combat North and South, appears to have been an impetus for that forts creation. If you've just had a big Southern lunch, complete with cornbread, collard greens, and pecan pie, you're definitely full as a tick. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. He was a politician and Indian agent. Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. I absolutely loved the southern voice of these characters throughout this book. Someone reminded me not to be reminded of you. Is this derivation correct? This book reminds me of that. Since we'd never dare hang up the phone while Mama's chatting away, this may be the only way to end your conversation in a timely manner. There is no typical Southern accent. 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. The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. Someone kicked in with we say cricks. 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. 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. A true Southern tradition. Lyndon Johnsons wife Lady Bird was fond of the phrase, and she wasnt one to cast aspersions on native Americans. Youre still going to the grocery store. 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. 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. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. 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. The General replied to Stonewall Jackson that he would send troops "the Good Lord is willing and the Creeks don't rise (in rebellion). This one originates from the 19th century, when Carter Products marketed "Little Liver Pills" across the country. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. Have you ever seen a wet hen? And this is one appearance in a newspaper: 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. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. 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.. 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. When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. 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. Look up Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. I was surprised as all get out. 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. And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers? Siever, known as Nolichucky Jack to his friends, was as brutal to the Cherokee and Creek as they were to him, but Siever knew to frame his attacks as responses to incursion or wrongs. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? Older than Methuselah. 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.". What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. A friend of mine told me to shoot first and ask questions later. 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. Come visit me at LeahWeiss.com where you can subscribe to my CREEKRISE author news. Who better to write about the risks of the Creek rising in revolt? Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. I've never forgotten it and it's drove me nuts because I would love a copy of it. Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. 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. It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. [3] The capitalization of the word Creek supposedly referred to the Creek Indian tribe rather than a body of water.[4][5]. It's almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head. 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. 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). Theres two or three creeks, he said. When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. You'll most often hear it coming out of Mama's mouth when the kids are running amok. John Wayne. 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 If you refer to itno matter the brand or flavoras Coke, chances are you grew up in the South. If The Creek Don't Rise. Funny Phrases ben stanczyk 10/25/01 Ireckon is the way many Southerners get to surmising about something or other. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. Threats not only from abroad, but internally as well, forced the fledgling nation to negotiate treaties with the tribes on the western frontier. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). 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). (LogOut/ Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. Well, I found it. And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. (LogOut/ While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. Doh! 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! From the start there's been a film of dingy on my days.. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. "Like all great southern. For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. Given that many small farm streams were crossed without bridges, which worked find most of the time, a swollen stream would cause problems. A Quite certainly not. If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. 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). Your first citation is much stronger than your second. Tensions between settlers and both tribes had been rising following the Treaty of Augusta and the land cessions of 1782-1783. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. "All get out" finds its way into Southern phrases constantly, and it intensifies any statement. Select your currency from the list and click Donate. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. "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. "If the Creek Don't Rise" We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us. If youre not using this phrase what are you waiting for? DeSantis ends Disney's free reign over Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. Catawampus(or, cattywampus) may have been popularized by Brits who delighted in parodying Southern vernacular. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. What in tarnation? If you hear this one, it's best to slow down. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. I am usually among those who bristle at change in usage. In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.". If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. 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. I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. Other words sites No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. 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).. A multipurpose Southernism. Youll thank us later! 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. However, the first President to move to Washington was John Adams on 1 November 1800. Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review. When a fellers fixin to do something, theyre about to do it. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! 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 "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. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. And that is the highest praise from me. 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. This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." 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. Baines Creek, high up in the Appalachian mountain, a poor place filled with impoverished people, a place where moonshine is king. Which means if nothing crazy happens or anything out my control such as a natural disaster. The request was to a general that had troops near Horseshoe Bend Alabama, protecting settlers against a Creek Indian uprising. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. Positive thinking, Southern style. Like trying to meet a friend for lunch but having the car breakdown on the way. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. 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. 'Cause everything's fine, God, I wish it were . 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.
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