Unarguable Southern criticism. It's almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head. Im not going to wrestle with historians and their Creek uprising story. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. 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. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen."
IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE - Leah Weiss 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. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. 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! I've never forgotten it and it's drove me nuts because I would love a copy of it. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. 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. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. 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. Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? Look up Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. 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. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . 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. All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-god1.htmLast modified: 25 February 2012. 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. Over yonder past the cotton field. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. and the word HOPE. 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. I see said the blind man to his deaf wife. 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. 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. A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. John Wayne.
If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise - Wikipedia the creek don't rise. 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. DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. Be it Gods will, or, we go to war, my plans will go according to one of those two choices. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: Quite certainly not. It mentions . 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. 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. Over yonder toward the water tower. I was surprised as all get out. "Like all great southern. 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. After eating a big, delicious Southern dinner Granny just made, you have to finish up with a slice of sweet potato pie, right? And, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, come March of next year, I'll be 225 years old. Where did this contraction, popular in both African American English and Southern American English, come from? This article about the English language is a stub.
"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." (LogOut/ 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. False folk etymology. Stop right there! Like trying to meet a friend for lunch but having the car breakdown on the way. But today Ive stumbled across the claim that it refers to an uprising by the Creek (or Cree) Indians. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. Someone reminded me not to be reminded of you. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. If the Creek Don't Rise. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise".
God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise - Southern Love 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!!
Talk:Lord willing and the creek don't rise - Wiktionary The phrase "God willing." - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. 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 only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. 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. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. [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.
Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. And that is the highest praise from me. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. Youd be in a real fix then. The English language is forever changing. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. Wheres my blasted phone?. 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. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
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.
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. Funny Phrases ben stanczyk 10/25/01 If The Creek Don't Rise.
God willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com If the Creek Don't Rise is a collection of hard-used characters, tangled relationships, family angst, and fortitude.
Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! 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. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. I am feeling culture shock from reading this book. Is this derivation correct? PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. Jan 29, 2014 at 19:34 . (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. From the beginning, the first narrative of Sadie Blue, which broke my heart from the first page, it feels like it will be her 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. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? It's often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying. And I mean took me there! "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." The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. 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.. The expression ". 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. When you're in the South, "over yonder" is a distant directionany direction. A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. 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. 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. Yelling out this humorous backronym for sh*tmight just tame the anger a bit. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. Change). This book reminds me of that. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. "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 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! In other words, Ill make it to Grandmas if the indians dont go on the warpath. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. It happens often during a Southern summer, when the heat rises and the temperatures shoot past 100. 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). Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. Firsts, Mines, Asks. Throughout the years, through these floods, weve had several roads that have washed completely out, so you just dont know whats down there.. Take a look at some of our favorite Southern sayings that we just couldn't live without. https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=70955250.
If you've just had a big Southern lunch, complete with cornbread, collard greens, and pecan pie, you're definitely full as a tick. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. 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. And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. Your email address will not be published.
Do You Know These Sizzlin' Southern Sayings? - Dictionary.com When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma.
"Come Hell or high water" vs "Lord willing and the creek don't rise" If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. 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? (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). "If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.".
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. 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.". !, Reckon has ancestry tracing all the way back to the 1000s (and maybe older still), and originally means to count, calculate.. 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. Paperback, 305 pages. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. No matter where you go in Kentucky, the people often have some colorful expressions. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. Apparently Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary. You'll most often hear it coming out of Mama's mouth when the kids are running amok. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. 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. If we relied on written sources it would be hard to believe in such continued use. 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. A multipurpose Southernism. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. You might say cocola. Chief Rose is asking drivers to be cautious while out and about.
If The Creek Don't Rise Southern Slang: If The Creek Don't Rise | What does it mean? | Ask A While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. Its a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water.
Other words sites
Farmers know that if you do something 'til the cows come home, it's going to take all day. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. 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. In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. 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. 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. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. 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. "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. 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. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. Share. 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. Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. 132 Copy quote. Positive thinking, Southern style. Well, I found it. Wow! When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. He would tell the audience that we would meet again, "If the good Lord's willin', and the creek don't rise".
Disney lost control of its Florida kingdom for opposing the "Don't Say Kicked in the gut and sucker punched with one of the best books I have ever read. Statements of the form "God/Lord willing and (some other condition being met)" are ancient extensions of simple acceptance of God's will in phrases like God willing and Lord willing.