"The Good Lord willing and the 'creek' don't rise" is just one of them. 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. Region 8 News on Twitter: ""You've heard that old saying, 'I'll be Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. The exact tranlation might be, 'If God is willing, and there isn't a flood that would prevent us from meeting again next week'. 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!! Affixes dictionary. It's often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying. It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. 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. 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. This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 01:18. 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. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. 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. 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. 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. In the Deep South? In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett OHara says: I do declare, Frank Kennedy, if you dont look dashing with that new set of whiskers!. It was set in the Ozark mountains featuring what some people called a witch. [2] In the Reed song and Cash cover the verses vary the rhyme, so the opening line commences: If the good Lord's willing and the creek stays down I'll be in your arms time the moon come around. I was surprised as all get out. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com 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! But, in the South, if your boss says that dog wont hunt in a meeting, it probably means your suggestion or idea needs improvement. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. 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. And, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, come March of next year, I'll be 225 years old. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. If you refer to itno matter the brand or flavoras Coke, chances are you grew up in the South. Did you know the saying God willing and the Creek dont rise was in reference to the Creek Indians and not a body of water? 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. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. Though youre likely to hear Southernisms such as. There is a lot of controversy about this fairly common folk saying. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. John Wayne. Whether you're talking about volume or value, a hill of beans isn't worth much. Wow! However, with the west in flames, both whites and Indians began organizing fighters. We didnt. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. The earliest example known is this mock rustic speech: Feller-citizens Im not customed to public speakin before sich highfalutin audiences. I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. Can't Never Could. God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise | Native Heritage Project It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. Well, hells bells. Lyndon Johnsons wife Lady Bird was fond of the phrase, and she wasnt one to cast aspersions on native Americans. But if the supposed letter was ever written, it doesnt now exist in any archive that any researcher has so far found (his letters have been published, if anybody would like to check). 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. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. Feller-citizens Im not customed to public speakin before sich highfalutin audiences. This article about the English language is a stub. Paperback, 305 pages. (LogOut/ What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. 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 thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. Translated, this means: "We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us." 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. Doh! 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.". And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. He told us about a young man who had been in the museum some weeks previous. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." 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. And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. 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.. 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. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. 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. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. 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. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. Do You Know These Sizzlin Southern Sayings. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. God willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com There is no typical Southern accent. All rights reserved. The General replied to Stonewall Jackson that he would send troops "the Good Lord is willing and the Creeks don't rise (in rebellion). We do our best to keep our promises, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up. 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. Dylan LeBlanc - If The Creek Don't Rise Lyrics | Genius Lyrics It took a further decade for it to become popular as a supposedly hayseed utterance, sometimes as and the crick dont rise to reflect a regional form. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. If the Good Lord is Willing and the Creek don't rise Older than Methuselah. Because that is supposedly how the original author first wrote it. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. The most interesting often hail from our older generations, such as the WWII era and those raised by them. Stop right there! It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. The distinct English dialect of the American South, which has a close relationship with Black English (African American Vernacular English), is fascinatingand plenty lively. Therefore if the Lord is willing and the Creek don't rise up and start up another uprising or battle, we will be able complete what ever it is we intend to do. You may still hear it if you stop into a country store. Maybe not all dogs were made for hunting some prefer the warmth of a fireplace and the comfort of your lap. 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. This United Statesrelated article is a stub. If The Creek Don't Rise 30 Phrases Only Southerners Use In response to a request that he return to Washington D.C., he wrote, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." I was going to ask him why, but I had to shoot him. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. From the start there's been a film of dingy on my days.. 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. 132 Copy quote. 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. Grandma might whisper this one over her hymnal if she sees you cutting up in church on Sunday morning. A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. Im not going to wrestle with historians and their Creek uprising story. Other words sites Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). And that is the highest praise from me. The expression ". Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest. I am feeling culture shock from reading this book. Have you ever seen a wet hen? When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote. If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen." 40 OLD PHRASES AND SAYINGS - Grammy's Grid Catawampus(or, cattywampus) may have been popularized by Brits who delighted in parodying Southern vernacular. "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. Cant never could is a reminder that if you dont even try, you wont ever accomplish your goal. 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. 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. Over yonder toward the water tower. Over yonder down the road. This book reminds me of that. A multipurpose Southernism. There, we listened to amazing stories told by Dr. John Mattox. "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. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special.

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