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. It has been noted that the phrase should be correctly written as God willing and the Creek dont rise. and the word HOPE. 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. If youre not using this phrase what are you waiting for? If the creek rises, travel will be impossible and Ill never get to Grannys. Where did this contraction, popular in both African American English and Southern American English, come from? 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.. She's not looking for sweets; she wants a hug and a kiss. You will have spotted that neither of these capitalises creek, which suggests they didnt have the Creek people in mind. All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-god1.htmLast modified: 25 February 2012. While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. 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. If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. Ireckon is the way many Southerners get to surmising about something or other. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. This book reminds me of that. 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. 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. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. There is a lot of controversy about this fairly common folk saying. I grew up with that saying and Ive said it more times than I can count. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. 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. The saying has been attributed to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson among others, on the usual principle that attaching a famous name to a story validates it. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. Ain't got no dog in that race. If you hear this one, it's best to slow down. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. Get help and learn more about the design. Farmers know that if you do something 'til the cows come home, it's going to take all day. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. Take a look at some of our favorite Southern sayings that we just couldn't live without. We didnt. "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." Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. 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). When a fellers fixin to do something, theyre about to do it. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." I am usually among those who bristle at change in usage. "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." in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. 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. Share. No matter where you go in Kentucky, the people often have some colorful expressions. 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. Synonyms [ edit] (barring unforeseen circumstances): God willing, Lord willing Translations [ edit] show phrase References [ edit] The exact tranlation might be, 'If God is willing, and there isn't a flood that would prevent us from meeting again next week'. 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. Youre still going to the grocery store. Someone reminded me not to be reminded of you. You gonna do nothing?". IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty and entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending! 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. 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. 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. In the Deep South? 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. 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. 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. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. Come visit me at LeahWeiss.com where you can subscribe to my CREEKRISE author news. 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!. "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 Funny Phrases ben stanczyk 10/25/01 If you use this phrase, you could be declaring any number of things: surprise, dissent, happiness. Given that many small farm streams were crossed without bridges, which worked find most of the time, a swollen stream would cause problems. 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. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. 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. (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). 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. That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. Unarguable Southern criticism. So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. 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. 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. Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? A multipurpose Southernism. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. 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. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. A young woman goes missing and has the town both fearful and wondering. Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. Have you ever seen a wet hen? If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. 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. The English language is forever changing. 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. There, we listened to amazing stories told by Dr. John Mattox. Theres probably a connection between eternal damnation and tarnation. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. Youll thank us later! But I know of just four instances from that century. Page created 25 Feb. 2012, Problems viewing this page? As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. (Yes, it is terrible grammar, but that is how it is said. The expression ". 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. 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).. Is this derivation correct? 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. This United Statesrelated article is a stub. This was an extremely enjoyable read! 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. Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama.