At the time Hawkins was Congressman, he joined other well known Southeastern American leaders in negotiating a major treaty with the Creek and Cherokee at the South Carolina city of Hopewell. 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. When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). John Wayne. False folk etymology. Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again. 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. What in tarnation? https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=70955250. It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. In fact, Georgia and South Carolina produce more peaches than any other states in the South. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. Its a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. 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! While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. When a fellers fixin to do something, theyre about to do it. Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. Maybe not all dogs were made for hunting some prefer the warmth of a fireplace and the comfort of your lap. 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 must surely be the creation of a fertile modern mind desiring to put the flesh of evidence on the dry bones of outright invention. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. Do You Know These Sizzlin Southern Sayings. The expression is incorrectly attributed on modern social media[citation needed] to an Indian agent, Benjamin Hawkins, in the late 18th century in a rumored letter not found in any archive to the U.S. President. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. You gonna do nothing?". 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. 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. Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. Anytime it rains as hard as it did last night, it always brings back fears of having to face something like we did in 1984, he said. Maya Rodale is a best-selling romance author. 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. Its not a recent change. This article about the English language is a stub. What is the origin of the phrase the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise? What Do Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, And Lent Mean? 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 his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. 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! An odd few (6% of Americans) do use soft drink, according to the Pop vs. 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. Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? Youre still going to the grocery store. Required fields are marked *. And I mean took me there! (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. "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." It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. "He broke bout every piece of sweet in you. Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. It completely nailed the "mountain living" that I remembered my grandmother talking about. 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. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. "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. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. Following that treaty John Siever formed the state of Franklin from land previously claimed by North Carolina but never ceded by the Indian tribes. What better way to sweeten the sour than with a classic Southern libation? IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE is character driven and one fine gritty and entertaining debut with one fine satisfying ending! We didnt. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. DeSantis ends Disney's free reign over Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. "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." Cookies and privacy 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. 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. Thats a mouthful, but we lumped these all together because they are allsubstitutes for (God) d*mn it. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. on, This page was last edited on 22 January 2022, at 17:42. Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. I see some folks walk easy and carry peace on their shoulders, but I been chained to a iron life." Leah Weiss, If the Creek Don't Rise 3 likes Like Baines Creek, high up in the Appalachian mountain, a poor place filled with impoverished people, a place where moonshine is king. Funny Phrases ben stanczyk 10/25/01 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. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. He was a politician and Indian agent. It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. Another publication, Proceedings of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge Jurisdiction, Volumes 88-89, coins the phrase: if the Lord is willing and the creek dont fire, we will so do. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. When I was growing up, this was something we said all of the time. A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. 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. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. Ain't got no dog in that race. Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. 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. 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. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. 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. Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. the creek don't rise. 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).. 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. Wheres my blasted phone?. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not rise at all. And that is the highest praise from me. "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. Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in return for an unbiased review. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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, I found it. I will be at church on Sunday. 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.". 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. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. It mentions Benjamin Hawkins of the late 18th century, who was asked by the US president to go back to Washington. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. 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. "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. 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. Whether you're talking about volume or value, a hill of beans isn't worth much. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. In other words, Ill make it to Grandmas if the indians dont go on the warpath. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. Lyndon Johnsons wife Lady Bird was fond of the phrase, and she wasnt one to cast aspersions on native Americans. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. To understand Hawkins, I read a little further into his history. In alternating first person narratives from a cast of characters that will be hard to forget, Leah Weiss took me to the mountain community called Baines Creek in the Appalachian Mountains in NC. The expression ". The Creek so-called civil war of 1812 involving the Red Stick faction, and their combat North and South, appears to have been an impetus for that forts creation.