30 Phrases Only Southerners Use Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. Take a look at some of our favorite Southern sayings that we just couldn't live without. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. Where did this contraction, popular in both African American English and Southern American English, come from? The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. Talk:Lord willing and the creek don't rise - Wiktionary January 2021: Hat tip to Maria whonotes that the collection of Benjamin Hawkinss letters has now been digitized and can be read at this link. Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in return for an unbiased review. 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. History: God Willing And The Creek Dont Rise Hardy citizens awoken by first responders urging evacuation Youll thank us later! God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise - Southern Love (Or maybe the Piggly Wiggly, a Southern market chain that originated in Memphis, Tennessee). the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. 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. Accents vary by regionand sometimes even city to city. If you're trying to be nice, but you just can't quite let it go, "bless your heart" is a go-to. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. 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. 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. Throughout the years, through these floods, weve had several roads that have washed completely out, so you just dont know whats down there.. Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 1851. 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 . (LogOut/ 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). 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. 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. In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. "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." 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. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. by Leah Weiss. 15. While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. I was surprised as all get out. I am feeling culture shock from reading this book. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. However, this is clearly one of those evolving language cases. "The Good Lord willing and the 'creek' don't rise" is just one of them. The expression make groceries is a translation of the French faire son march (to do ones market shopping). It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. 40 OLD PHRASES AND SAYINGS - Grammy's Grid When you're in the South, "over yonder" is a distant directionany direction. Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). A Quite certainly not. 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). Do You Know These Sizzlin' Southern Sayings? - Dictionary.com 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. https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=70955250. [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. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not rise at all. "If the Creek Don't Rise" We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us. Chief Rose is asking drivers to be cautious while out and about. 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. Oh, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise. Its not a recent change. Thats a mouthful, but we lumped these all together because they are allsubstitutes for (God) d*mn it. 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. 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). If the Good Lord is Willing and the Creek don't rise 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. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. Southern Slang: If The Creek Don't Rise | What does it mean? | Ask A Youd be in a real fix then. And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers? (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com 133 Copy quote. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. In his reply, he was said to have written, God 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. Your first citation is much stronger than your second. If the creek don't risewas a whimsical way of saying that the speaker would carry out some task provided that no figurative obstacle were put in his path. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 15 Kentucky Sayings Other People Wouldn't Understand - OnlyInYourState And yes, they roll their eyes, too. This book reminds me of that. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. 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. What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. Get help and learn more about the design. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. Well, at least we thought we did.but maybe not. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. 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. I am usually among those who bristle at change in usage. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. However, with the west in flames, both whites and Indians began organizing fighters. God willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." "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. A true Southern tradition. 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. While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. Yes, I had heard of the Appalachians and how the culture spreads along those mountains over more than a dozen States. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. You will have spotted that neither of these capitalises creek, which suggests they didnt have the Creek people in mind. When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. Following that treaty John Siever formed the state of Franklin from land previously claimed by North Carolina but never ceded by the Indian tribes. 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. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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. If you refer to itno matter the brand or flavoras Coke, chances are you grew up in the South. The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. Just wait till you see what Granny Gladys does..with a bit of help from Mother Nature..hehehe. Synonyms [ edit] (barring unforeseen circumstances): God willing, Lord willing Translations [ edit] show phrase References [ edit] Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? Well, hells bells. What is the origin of the phrase the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise? Though youre likely to hear Southernisms such as. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. If the Creek Don't Rise Quotes by Leah Weiss - Goodreads But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? A young woman goes missing and has the town both fearful and wondering. If you use this phrase, you could be declaring any number of things: surprise, dissent, happiness. Someone reminded me not to be reminded of you. 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. 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. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. 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.. 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. If you hear this one, you should probably pause a moment. 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 written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. As I was in a museum, I felt confident in repeating the knowledge to others as fact. In his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. 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. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. 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. 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. 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. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/Benjamin_Hawkins, Follow Thoughts and Ponderances on WordPress.com. Its a one-size-fits-all reply that can both express sympathy and insult someone, depending on the delivery. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. Fans of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek will love this intimate insight into a fiercely proud, tenacious community and relish the voices of the forgotten folks of Baines Creek. 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. 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. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. If the Creek Don't Rise: A Novel - Leah Weiss - Google Books 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. 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). 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. Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. 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. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. "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." 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 I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. 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. 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! Eventually, you became a singular pronoun, and we lost the plural pronouns. I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. Disney lost control of its Florida kingdom for opposing the "Don't Say "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 DeSantis ends Disney's free reign over Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. 24 of 30. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. 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. We didnt. I'm a sucker for the well turned phrase and I was highlighting sentences here, one after another. It's raining cats and dogs. 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! 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. Im not going to wrestle with historians and their Creek uprising story. At the same time there is some evidence that the creation of Fort Deposit (Fort Deposite) in Georgia was a cause of concern in that munitions and arms were stockpiled. The Lafayette gazette(Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! 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. A multipurpose Southernism. DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . The thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. 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. 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. "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. Look up Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Have you ever seen a wet hen? On his deathbed he married the Creek woman who had been his common-law wife. The word you use for a fizzy, carbonated drink reveals a lot more about you than you know. We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. 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 has been noted that the phrase should be correctly written as God willing and the Creek dont rise. 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. Baines Creek, high up in the Appalachian mountain, a poor place filled with impoverished people, a place where moonshine is king. 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. Cookies and privacy You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. Dylan LeBlanc - If The Creek Don't Rise Lyrics | Genius Lyrics Page created 25 Feb. 2012, Problems viewing this page? "If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.". 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. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. Region 8 News on Twitter: ""You've heard that old saying, 'I'll be It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. Come visit me at LeahWeiss.com where you can subscribe to my CREEKRISE author news. Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. Unarguable Southern criticism. Well, I found it. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. 1851. 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. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. After eating a big, delicious Southern dinner Granny just made, you have to finish up with a slice of sweet potato pie, right? Because that is supposedly how the original author first wrote it. You might say cocola. (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. 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. However, the first President to move to Washington was John Adams on 1 November 1800. Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. 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. 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. 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).. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. The creek don't rise - Wikipedia Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. 132 Copy quote. 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. The distinct English dialect of the American South, which has a close relationship with Black English (African American Vernacular English), is fascinatingand plenty lively.