if the creek don't rise saying
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. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. 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. 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. IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty and entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending! Hardy citizens awoken by first responders urging evacuation 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. Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. Required fields are marked *. The English language is forever changing. Positive thinking, Southern style. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. 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. This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 01:18. If the Creek Don't Rise is a collection of hard-used characters, tangled relationships, family angst, and fortitude. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! Is this derivation correct? It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. 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).. Thats a mouthful, but we lumped these all together because they are allsubstitutes for (God) d*mn it. Though youre likely to hear Southernisms such as. Phrase [ edit] Lord willing and the creek don't rise ( idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances. This was an extremely enjoyable read! Threats not only from abroad, but internally as well, forced the fledgling nation to negotiate treaties with the tribes on the western frontier. 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 the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? 50 of the Best Southern Sayings | Serving Up Southern 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. If the Creek Don't Rise Quotes Showing 1-14 of 14 "Times like these I wonder if I ever been happy. All rights reserved. "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. "He broke bout every piece of sweet in you. In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. Over yonder toward the water tower. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. Whether you're talking about volume or value, a hill of beans isn't worth much. If the Creek Don't Rise Quotes by Leah Weiss - Goodreads They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. (LogOut/ What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. God willing and the creek don't rise If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Region 8 News on Twitter: ""You've heard that old saying, 'I'll be A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. 'Cause everything's fine, God, I wish it were . 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. Poor little doggy. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? And yes, they roll their eyes, too. Accents vary by regionand sometimes even city to city. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. The phrase may be accompanied by a gesture indicating north, south, east, or west. When a fellers fixin to do something, theyre about to do it. A friend of mine told me to shoot first and ask questions later. The Lafayette gazette(Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. In other words, Ill make it to Grandmas if the indians dont go on the warpath. This one originates from the 19th century, when Carter Products marketed "Little Liver Pills" across the country. Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. If the Creek Don't Rise|Paperback - Barnes & Noble 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. They had a conversation in which the phrase was discussed and noted as being about the Creek Indians. What better way to sweeten the sour than with a classic Southern libation? Any of you word experts have solid information? God willing and the creek don't rise - World Wide Words Southern Slang: If The Creek Don't Rise | What does it mean? | Ask A 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! 'If The Creek Don't Rise' Traces Webs Of Hurt And Help : NPR Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. 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. However, the first President to move to Washington was John Adams on 1 November 1800. If The Creek Don't Rise 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. This phrase isn't about physical appearance. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. 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. Im not going to wrestle with historians and their Creek uprising story. "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. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. Historically, Southerners in the Appalachian mountains pronounced eternal as tarnal. That pronunciation suggests a clever word-smoosh between tarnal and damnation, so the savvy Appalachians could euphemistically express their anger without wasting an extra breath. Learn how your comment data is processed. 133 Copy quote. The clipping below from 1892 is a reference to flooding waterways not allowing the postmaster to get to his office. Used in a sentence - If the creek don't rise and God's willing, you should be able to see this video. 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. 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. Talk:Lord willing and the creek don't rise - Wiktionary !, Reckon has ancestry tracing all the way back to the 1000s (and maybe older still), and originally means to count, calculate.. The first big battles in the Creek War were, indeed, attacks on white settlements, but it was not a matter of an uprising that threatened settlers, rather it was an outbreak of war between two armed groups in which whites and Indians sought each other out. The second contributor on the AOL site is simply repeating things without any understanding. Be it Gods will, or, we go to war, my plans will go according to one of those two choices. Paperback, 305 pages. 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. There is a lot of controversy about this fairly common folk saying. 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 The creek don't rise - Wikipedia If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise - Wikipedia Some newspaper clippings are harder to determine which meaning they meant. 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. 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. Stop right there! Cookies and privacy 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.". And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. If you're trying to be nice, but you just can't quite let it go, "bless your heart" is a go-to. So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. 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 I was growing up, this was something we said all of the time. This book reminds me of that. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. Yes, I had heard of the Appalachians and how the culture spreads along those mountains over more than a dozen States. You gonna do nothing?". Yelling out this humorous backronym for sh*tmight just tame the anger a bit. After eating a big, delicious Southern dinner Granny just made, you have to finish up with a slice of sweet potato pie, right? Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. Your email address will not be published. The word you use for a fizzy, carbonated drink reveals a lot more about you than you know. Kicked in the gut and sucker punched with one of the best books I have ever read. If you hear this one, it's best to slow down. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. Donate via PayPal. 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!! 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. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. 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? 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. What's The Difference Between Y'all And Ya'll? Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote. 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. As was the case with Dr Mattox, the remark is routinely attributed to first being said by Benjamin Hawkins. It's almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. Let me love you again, give me one more try. Affixes dictionary. Grandma might whisper this one over her hymnal if she sees you cutting up in church on Sunday morning. When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-god1.htmLast modified: 25 February 2012. 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. But in following verses the rhyme changes through "creeks don't rise", "creek stay low", back to "creeks don't rise". Lord Willing and the creek don't rise - English for Students Select your currency from the list and click Donate. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. 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). This Southern saying, God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise. The thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: Quite certainly not. A true Southern tradition. By date order (spelling and titling may vary): Not to be confused with the Ray LaMontagne album, If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine All Music Guide to Country 0879307609 2003 Page 629 Jerry Reed "Here I Am collects his complete recordings for Capitol (30 songs), most of which were originals. 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. It was set in the Ozark mountains featuring what some people called a witch. Creek don't rise - phrase meaning and origin - Phrasefinder A multipurpose Southernism. Have you ever seen a wet hen? Oh, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. 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. 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. Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. 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). Unarguable Southern criticism. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. Over yonder past the cotton field. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. and the word HOPE. A rising creek could spell trouble, as it can lead to flooding and other issues. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! If we relied on written sources it would be hard to believe in such continued use. The researchers went on to cite two different publications in the 1800s in which the authors did not capitalize the word creek, leading one to believe they did not mean the people proper. What is the origin of the phrase the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise? 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. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. You will have spotted that neither of these capitalises creek, which suggests they didnt have the Creek people in mind. Origin debaters point to Col. Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina, a Continental Congress senator. You may still hear it if you stop into a country store. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. Pot callin the kettle black. "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. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. Its a one-size-fits-all reply that can both express sympathy and insult someone, depending on the delivery. [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. Funny Phrases ben stanczyk 10/25/01 A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God 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. 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. 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. There's two or three creeks," he said. Which means if nothing crazy happens or anything out my control such as a natural disaster. Look up Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. 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.