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It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. Lately, though, I have learned to wince quickly and let it go. To understand Hawkins, I read a little further into his history. He wrote it in response to a request from the President to return to our Nations Capital and the reference is not to a creek, but The Creek Indian Nation. Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. Positive thinking, Southern style. Just wait till you see what Granny Gladys does..with a bit of help from Mother Nature..hehehe. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. 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. If youre not using this phrase what are you waiting for? 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. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. Turn around, and please dont drive through it. Soda web site devoted to this age-old debate. Funny Phrases ben stanczyk 10/25/01 PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. Someone reminded me not to be reminded of you. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen." 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. And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers? Its a one-size-fits-all reply that can both express sympathy and insult someone, depending on the delivery. If you hear this one, you should probably pause a moment. Phrase [ edit] Lord willing and the creek don't rise ( idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances. 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. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. We've had a lot of delays, but Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. On his deathbed he married the Creek woman who had been his common-law wife. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. 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. Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. If we relied on written sources it would be hard to believe in such continued use. "Like all great southern. 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. Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. The distinct English dialect of the American South, which has a close relationship with Black English (African American Vernacular English), is fascinatingand plenty lively. 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. 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. We didnt. Its a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. As I was in a museum, I felt confident in repeating the knowledge to others as fact. I see said the blind man to his deaf wife. Because that is supposedly how the original author first wrote it. 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. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. Over yonder past the cotton field. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise. Maybe not all dogs were made for hunting some prefer the warmth of a fireplace and the comfort of your lap. DeSantis ends Disney's free reign over Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. 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. 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. Youd be in a real fix then. Your email address will not be published. A multipurpose Southernism. 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.. Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in return for an unbiased review. The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. Origin debaters point to Col. Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina, a Continental Congress senator. in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. Does a bear shit in the woods? 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. What Do Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, And Lent Mean? 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!. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. And that is the highest praise from me. I ate that up with a spoon and did my best to read them all. A true Southern tradition. Take a look here Michael: http://www.genealogynation.com/creek/. 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). 15. Paperback, 305 pages. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. 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. Copyright 2023 KAIT. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. purchase. Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. 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. And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. 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. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). 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!! Who better to write about the risks of the Creek rising in revolt? Theres two or three creeks, he said. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. Well, that might just push you over the edge, and as you lean back youre bound to say, Im as full as a tick. Itd be plumb crazy not to express yourself (and your full belly) with this fun, old Southern idiom. 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). [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. 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. The exact tranlation might be, 'If God is willing, and there isn't a flood that would prevent us from meeting again next week'. Can't Never Could. Throughout the years, through these floods, weve had several roads that have washed completely out, so you just dont know whats down there.. I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. from The New York Times: If there is a good state of the world in 2021 the Lord willing and the creek don't rise everyone and all Blue Dogs in office needs to recognize . It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. 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. In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. 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. As was the case with Dr Mattox, the remark is routinely attributed to first being said by Benjamin Hawkins. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). 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. A sister who is afraid of losing her brother and Sadie's grandmother and aunt, all tell their stories adding to Sadie's own. HARDY, Ark. In response to a request that he return to Washington D.C., he wrote, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Pot callin the kettle black.