Is this derivation correct? Who better to write about the risks of the Creek rising in revolt? And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. I'm a sucker for the well turned phrase and I was highlighting sentences here, one after another. Whether you're talking about volume or value, a hill of beans isn't worth much. "If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.". Your first citation is much stronger than your second. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. Yelling out this humorous backronym for sh*tmight just tame the anger a bit. Any of you word experts have solid information? Cookies and privacy
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. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. 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. Historians and etymologists may cringe, but the modern usage of Lord willin and the creek (or crick) dont rise is about the stream, not the Creek tribe. In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. This phrase isn't about physical appearance. 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. 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. 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. But today Ive stumbled across the claim that it refers to an uprising by the Creek (or Cree) Indians. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. Like trying to meet a friend for lunch but having the car breakdown on the way. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. She's seventeen, pregnant and two weeks into her marriage to Roy Tupkin, after enduring brutal beatings, Sadie knows she has made a mistake. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. "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 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. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. It's raining cats and dogs. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. Well, that might just push you over the edge, and as you lean back youre bound to say, Im as full as a tick. Itd be plumb crazy not to express yourself (and your full belly) with this fun, old Southern idiom. 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. I grew up with that saying and Ive said it more times than I can count. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. Let me love you again, give me one more try. A Quite certainly not. A friend of mine told me to shoot first and ask questions later. A multipurpose Southernism. 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. It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. purchase. There's two or three creeks," he said. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. 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.". Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." 133 Copy quote. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote. A true Southern tradition. When a fellers fixin to do something, theyre about to do it. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. the creek don't rise. On his deathbed he married the Creek woman who had been his common-law wife. the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. After eating a big, delicious Southern dinner Granny just made, you have to finish up with a slice of sweet potato pie, right? Over yonder down the road. 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. 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. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda, Sarah, Jennifer and Porshajo. 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. If youre not using this phrase what are you waiting for? Someone kicked in with we say cricks. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. 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! And yes, they roll their eyes, too. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. 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. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise" was later covered by Johnny Cash during his tenure at Sun, and a few of the other tracks here ", If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise", Learn how and when to remove this template message, "World Wide Words: God willing and the creek don't rise", "William Clark Green: 'Ringling Road' Album Review", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_the_Good_Lord%27s_Willing_and_the_Creek_Don%27t_Rise&oldid=1067282742, "If The Lord's Willing And The Creeks Don't Rise", song by, "If The Good Lord's Willing And The Creek Don't Rise", Lattie Moore, Jerry Reed 1961, "If The Good Lord's Willing", Ray Godfrey, arranged Jerry Reed, Tollie Records 1964, "(Be The Good Lord Willing) The Creek Don't Rise", Jivin' Gene, arranged Smith, Hall-Way Records 1964, "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise", with the lyric "God willin' an the creek don't rise, I'll be home again before this time next year." Eli is the backbone of the community; all he wants is a better life for the people of Baines Creek evidenced by the succession of teachers he has procured.and been scared off, and his scheming troublemaking spinster of a sister Prudence who "don't like nobody" doesn't help matters any, but when the giant 6' 2" Kate Shaw arrives, wellthat's another story. Here are a couple of examples of this claim. 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 underscore of that sentiment would be that he married his common-law wife on his deathbed and she was of the Creek Indians. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. "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. 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. 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. IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty and entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending! It can be summarised as if all goes well. 1851. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. (LogOut/ 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. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. I will be at church on Sunday. 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. In response to a request that he return to Washington D.C., he wrote, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." 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. 1851. "All get out" finds its way into Southern phrases constantly, and it intensifies any statement. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. When I was growing up, this was something we said all of the time. 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. 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. 15. It was bad as all get out. (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.). Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." All rights reserved. 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. Theres probably a connection between eternal damnation and tarnation. But in following verses the rhyme changes through "creeks don't rise", "creek stay low", back to "creeks don't rise". Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. 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.. and the word HOPE. The clipping below from 1892 is a reference to flooding waterways not allowing the postmaster to get to his office. [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. It completely nailed the "mountain living" that I remembered my grandmother talking about. 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. Youll thank us later! The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers? 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. If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. 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. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. False folk etymology. That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. Apparently Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary.
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