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Apparently Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary. Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. In other words, Ill make it to Grandmas if the indians dont go on the warpath. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. (Yes, it is terrible grammar, but that is how it is said. 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. 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. All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-god1.htmLast modified: 25 February 2012. No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. 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. Older than Methuselah. Catawampus(or, cattywampus) may have been popularized by Brits who delighted in parodying Southern vernacular. All rights reserved. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. 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. It presumably evokes occasional and unpredictably extreme rainfall in Appalachia, that has historically isolated one rural neighborhood or another temporarily inaccessible on several or many occasions. Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again. When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. Because that is supposedly how the original author first wrote it. What Do Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, And Lent Mean? It mentions . This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. 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. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." A sister who is afraid of losing her brother and Sadie's grandmother and aunt, all tell their stories adding to Sadie's own. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. Theres probably a connection between eternal damnation and tarnation. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. 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. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. Oh, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise. This United Statesrelated article is a stub. It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. My officers and fire department, we went along the river houses and notified everybody and recommended evacuation, said Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose. The second contributor on the AOL site is simply repeating things without any understanding. What's The Difference Between Y'all And Ya'll? Origin debaters point to Col. Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina, a Continental Congress senator. [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. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. 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 Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. 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. And, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, come March of next year, I'll be 225 years old. Theres two or three creeks, he said. Dont worry, if youre helping a friend make groceries, youre not expected to create food from scratch. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. 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!. Variants substitute "God" or "Good Lord" (with or without "the") for "Lord", and substitute "crick" or "river" for "creek", or capitalize it as "Creek" or "Creeks" based on confusion with the Creek Indian tribe. Accents vary by regionand sometimes even city to city. 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. Firsts, Mines, Asks. 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. 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. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. Throughout the years, through these floods, weve had several roads that have washed completely out, so you just dont know whats down there.. 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. I am feeling culture shock from reading this book. The English language is forever changing. 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! in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. It was set in the Ozark mountains featuring what some people called a witch. Is this derivation correct? 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. I absolutely loved the southern voice of these characters throughout this book. 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. I was going to ask him why, but I had to shoot him. 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. In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. Hawkins served under George Washington as General Superintendent for Indian Affairs (17961818) and had responsibility for the Native American tribes south of the Ohio River, and was principal Indian agent to the Creek Indians. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). We do our best to keep our promises, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up. Like trying to meet a friend for lunch but having the car breakdown on the way. 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. Well, hells bells. Your email address will not be published. The exact tranlation might be, 'If God is willing, and there isn't a flood that would prevent us from meeting again next week'. In his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Do You Know These Sizzlin Southern Sayings. Here are a couple of examples of this claim. 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. The proper phrase is Lord willing and the Creek don't rise. He was a politician and Indian agent. Farmers know that if you do something 'til the cows come home, it's going to take all day. 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. Runnin around like a chicken with it's head . And yes, they roll their eyes, too. A Quite certainly not. In response to a request that he return to Washington D.C., he wrote, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Some newspaper clippings are harder to determine which meaning they meant. But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? The phrase may be accompanied by a gesture indicating north, south, east, or west. Whatscatawampus? "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. Jan 29, 2014 at 19:34 . 24 of 30. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: Quite certainly not. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. I'm a sucker for the well turned phrase and I was highlighting sentences here, one after another. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. 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. An odd few (6% of Americans) do use soft drink, according to the Pop vs. "Like all great southern. 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. Ireckon is the way many Southerners get to surmising about something or other. 15. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. 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.. 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. 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. You may still hear it if you stop into a country store. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . Learn how your comment data is processed. If The Creek Don't Rise. Here is an article that casts rather a lot of doubt on your assertion: 'God willing and the creek don't rise' M Quinion_World Wide Words: Q From Bob Scala: An item that has been floating around the internet claims that the expression 'God willing and the creek don't rise' referred to the Creek Indians, not a body of water. The 1800s and 1900s were much simpler times, as people didn't have the luxuries afforded in modern times. 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. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. I grew up with that saying and Ive said it more times than I can count. 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 must surely be the creation of a fertile modern mind desiring to put the flesh of evidence on the dry bones of outright invention. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. 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.". Lately, though, I have learned to wince quickly and let it go. However, this is clearly one of those evolving language cases. IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty and entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending! Let me love you again, give me one more try. Select your currency from the list and click Donate. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. 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. 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. There is no typical Southern accent. Turn around, and please dont drive through it. Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. When I was growing up, this was something we said all of the time. 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. Used in a sentence - If the creek don't rise and God's willing, you should be able to see this video. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not rise at all. In the Deep South? Tensions between settlers and both tribes had been rising following the Treaty of Augusta and the land cessions of 1782-1783. Kicked in the gut and sucker punched with one of the best books I have ever read. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. Pot callin the kettle black. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. Youll thank us later! 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. !, Reckon has ancestry tracing all the way back to the 1000s (and maybe older still), and originally means to count, calculate.. 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. The resulting warfare and predictable civilian losses in the South reportedly gave rise (using the Southern frontier penchant for willin as opposed to the educated willing) to the phrase which was then likely mistakenly attributed to Hawkins due to his Native American connections. If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise. 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. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. 1851. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. "If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.". It can be summarised as if all goes well. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. I was surprised as all get out. And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. 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. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. A friend of mine told me to shoot first and ask questions later. Youre still going to the grocery store. 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. We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. 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. [3] The capitalization of the word Creek supposedly referred to the Creek Indian tribe rather than a body of water.[4][5]. Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. Eventually, you became a singular pronoun, and we lost the plural pronouns. However, the first President to move to Washington was John Adams on 1 November 1800. 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. Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. As I was in a museum, I felt confident in repeating the knowledge to others as fact. 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.". (LogOut/ 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. Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. 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. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. If the Creek Don't Rise. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. You will have spotted that neither of these capitalises creek, which suggests they didnt have the Creek people in mind. If you refer to itno matter the brand or flavoras Coke, chances are you grew up in the South. "He broke bout every piece of sweet in you. If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. and the word HOPE. No matter where you go in Kentucky, the people often have some colorful expressions. The most interesting often hail from our older generations, such as the WWII era and those raised by them. 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. This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. Baines Creek, high up in the Appalachian mountain, a poor place filled with impoverished people, a place where moonshine is king. (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.). 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. In fact, Georgia and South Carolina produce more peaches than any other states in the South. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. Translated, this means: "We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us." Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review. Wheres my blasted phone?. Just wait till you see what Granny Gladys does..with a bit of help from Mother Nature..hehehe. 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. 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. Most of the ones on paved roads had bridges or culverts by that time, but not all of them and everyone still clearly knew what that saying meant even if the threat wasnt very real anymore. 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. Cant never could is a reminder that if you dont even try, you wont ever accomplish your goal. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. These skies can darken at a moment's notice, and summer afternoons often see winds churning and heavy rain clouds blowing in to cool that Southern summer heat. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine.
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