Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Come visit me at LeahWeiss.com where you can subscribe to my CREEKRISE author news. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. The first big battles in the Creek War were, indeed, attacks on white settlements, but it was not a matter of an uprising that threatened settlers, rather it was an outbreak of war between two armed groups in which whites and Indians sought each other out. the creek don't rise. Donate via PayPal. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. The expression "the creek don't rise" is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. 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. Is this derivation correct? This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! Required fields are marked *. 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. Dont worry, if youre helping a friend make groceries, youre not expected to create food from scratch. Positive thinking, Southern style. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. 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. The History And Traditions That Make Hanukkah Light Up, Examples Of Ableist Language You May Not Realize Youre Using, Winter 2023 New Words: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, Fall In Love With 14 Captivating Valentines Day Words, Rizz And 7 Other Slang Trends That Explain The Internet In 2023, Win With Qi And This List Of Our Best Scrabble Words, We Had ChatGPT Coin Nonsense PhrasesAnd Then We Defined Them, Surprise! Well, hells bells. The Lafayette gazette(Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. John Wayne. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. 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. 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. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. 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. "Well I s'wanee" evokes the Southern Suwannee River. If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. 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. Youre still going to the grocery store. Its a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. I was surprised as all get out. "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. Does a bear shit in the woods? The underscore of that sentiment would be that he married his common-law wife on his deathbed and she was of the Creek Indians. The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. 24 of 30. 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. If The Creek Don't Rise is a unique novel whose structure feels light and breezy and veers drastically from the standard formula found in fiction. 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. Well, at least we thought we did.but maybe not. 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. During the course of his 21 years in these positions he would oversee the longest period of peace with theCreek, only to watch his lifetime of work destroyed by a faction of this Indian Nation known as the Red Sticks during the War of 1812. Theres nothing more Southern than a lively Hey, yall! And dont you dare think of spelling it yallSouthern Living has decreed this contraction of you all is spelled one way, and one way only. 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. 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. Well, I found it. 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. 4.5 stars! Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. Pot callin the kettle black. "If the Creek Don't Rise" We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us. A true Southern tradition. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. Theres two or three creeks, he said. Baines Creek, high up in the Appalachian mountain, a poor place filled with impoverished people, a place where moonshine is king. Over yonder toward the water tower. 15. 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. If the Creek Don't Rise. There, we listened to amazing stories told by Dr. John Mattox. This was an extremely enjoyable read! 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. Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! Be it Gods will, or, we go to war, my plans will go according to one of those two choices. 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! And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . This was the phrase that he always used, at the end of each performance. Apparently Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary. The 1800s and 1900s were much simpler times, as people didn't have the luxuries afforded in modern times. The clipping below from 1892 is a reference to flooding waterways not allowing the postmaster to get to his office. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose 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. 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. "If The Good Lord's Willing and The Creek Don't Rise" is a 1955 American country song by Jerry Reed which was particularly popularized by the 1958 recording of Johnny Cash and has been covered by multiple artists.[1]. This article about the English language is a stub. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. Doh! 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. It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. 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. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not rise at all. The most interesting often hail from our older generations, such as the WWII era and those raised by them. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." After eating a big, delicious Southern dinner Granny just made, you have to finish up with a slice of sweet potato pie, right? All rights reserved. https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=70955250. Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. 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. I am usually among those who bristle at change in usage. Just wait till you see what Granny Gladys does..with a bit of help from Mother Nature..hehehe. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. 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. Translated, this means: "We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us." Werefixin to tell you more Southernisms, and now were doing just that. We do our best to keep our promises, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up. PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. Other words sites Threats not only from abroad, but internally as well, forced the fledgling nation to negotiate treaties with the tribes on the western frontier. She's not looking for sweets; she wants a hug and a kiss. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Often said as Lord willing and the creek dont rise, this expression means, with a little bit of luck and no unexpected problems, things should work out. Here are a couple of examples of this claim. And, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, come March of next year, I'll be 225 years old. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. Jan 29, 2014 at 19:34 . Who better to write about the risks of the Creek rising in revolt? Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. It's often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. In fact, Georgia and South Carolina produce more peaches than any other states in the South. A friend of mine told me to shoot first and ask questions later. 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. But today Ive stumbled across the claim that it refers to an uprising by the Creek (or Cree) Indians. (LogOut/ That book was a 1908 publication and leans toward the thought of Creek Indian, even if not capitalized, because of the word fire (as in shooting guns). When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. purchase. Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. From the start there's been a film of dingy on my days.. Actually this is not proven. I'm a sucker for the well turned phrase and I was highlighting sentences here, one after another. And I mean took me there! No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. I've never forgotten it and it's drove me nuts because I would love a copy of it. 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!! 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. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. You gonna do nothing?". (LogOut/ Grandma might whisper this one over her hymnal if she sees you cutting up in church on Sunday morning. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. by Leah Weiss. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. Synonyms [ edit] (barring unforeseen circumstances): God willing, Lord willing Translations [ edit] show phrase References [ edit] Where did this contraction, popular in both African American English and Southern American English, come from? Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. 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. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.