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. 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. 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. Older than Methuselah. If you've ever been caught in a summer storm, you know that you can feel, smell, and see a storm blowin' up across the wide Southern skies. The General replied to Stonewall Jackson that he would send troops "the Good Lord is willing and the Creeks don't rise (in rebellion). 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. The 1800s and 1900s were much simpler times, as people didn't have the luxuries afforded in modern times. If the Creek Dont Rise by Leah Weiss is a 2017 Sourcebooks Landmark publication. 'Cause everything's fine, God, I wish it were . The lyrics play on the expression Lord willing and the creek don't rise, which is thought to originate from Alabama. Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. 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. But, in the South, if your boss says that dog wont hunt in a meeting, it probably means your suggestion or idea needs improvement. 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. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? 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. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). It is a paraphrase of a popular biblical saying from James 4:15, and while there are scores of citations to the phrase in the sense of the waters rising, in the US and Europe, there is not one shred of evidence of a reference to the Creek nation. God willing and the creek don't rise If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. The expression make groceries is a translation of the French faire son march (to do ones market shopping). In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.". Jan 29, 2014 at 19:34 . Change). Paperback, 305 pages. 4.5 stars! And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. "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]. All rights reserved. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. Most of the ones on paved roads had bridges or culverts by that time, but not all of them and everyone still clearly knew what that saying meant even if the threat wasnt very real anymore. Is this derivation correct? If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. 'Creek don't rise' is a phrase with possibly more than one meaning origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise" - Factual Questions While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. Required fields are marked *. 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. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. But despite its gentle execution, this story delivers some of the heaviest of punches and invites the reader to step outside of the book for a spell Youve heard that old saying, Ill be there if the creek dont rise? Well, theyve all risen, and a lot of people are staying home because of that.. Lord Willing and the creek don't rise - English for Students (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). the creek don't rise. The phrase may be accompanied by a gesture indicating north, south, east, or west. The most interesting often hail from our older generations, such as the WWII era and those raised by them. 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. Hardy citizens awoken by first responders urging evacuation A Quite certainly not. Positive thinking, Southern style. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after 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. Come visit me at LeahWeiss.com where you can subscribe to my CREEKRISE author news. Maya Rodale is a best-selling romance author. Yelling out this humorous backronym for sh*tmight just tame the anger a bit. 50 of the Best Southern Sayings | Serving Up Southern Though youre likely to hear Southernisms such as. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. 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. 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. From the present day of the story in 1970 to flashbacks of the past and dreams, these various points of view give us a vivid picture of this place and the people who live there. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. Werefixin to tell you more Southernisms, and now were doing just that. (LogOut/ Get help and learn more about the design. There is no reason to suppose the Indian variant is true. 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. Its a one-size-fits-all reply that can both express sympathy and insult someone, depending on the delivery. He told us about a young man who had been in the museum some weeks previous. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Copyright 2023 KAIT. A rising creek could spell trouble, as it can lead to flooding and other issues. Dylan LeBlanc - If The Creek Don't Rise Lyrics | Genius Lyrics and the word HOPE. 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. What in tarnation? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 'If The Creek Don't Rise' Traces Webs Of Hurt And Help : NPR Who better to write about the risks of the Creek rising in revolt? Siever, known as Nolichucky Jack to his friends, was as brutal to the Cherokee and Creek as they were to him, but Siever knew to frame his attacks as responses to incursion or wrongs. 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. History: God Willing And The Creek Dont Rise Here is an article that casts rather a lot of doubt on your assertion: 'God willing and the creek don't rise' M Quinion_World Wide Words: Q From Bob Scala: An item that has been floating around the internet claims that the expression 'God willing and the creek don't rise' referred to the Creek Indians, not a body of water. "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. A different style for the story telling in this as we hear from many of the people in this town and Sadie Blues own story is woven through the fabric of theirs. 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. 15. All of my life there have been local mountain sayings that I've heard and of course repeated, complete with a North Carolina southern drawl as literal fact. False folk etymology. Positive thinking, Southern style. 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. A multipurpose Southernism. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. Theres no better zinger than a bless your heart delivered in a condescending tone of voice that implies, as the Southern Decoder puts it, youre dumb, homely, or otherwise impaired, but you cant help it.Go ahead and practice it in the mirror a few times. "Come Hell or high water" vs "Lord willing and the creek don't rise" Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. Since we'd never dare hang up the phone while Mama's chatting away, this may be the only way to end your conversation in a timely manner. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. HARDY, Ark. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. Well, at least we thought we did.but maybe not. This was the phrase that he always used, at the end of each performance. 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. Step into the Deep South and experience the lives and hardships, hopes and dreams, of folk who have nothing except gritand sometimes loveas their currency. It was a big old chunk of a book, so only a couple of the kids including myself read it. 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. Catawampus(or, cattywampus) may have been popularized by Brits who delighted in parodying Southern vernacular. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. Not one shred of evidence is a clear invitation to fault the writer. A young woman goes missing and has the town both fearful and wondering. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote. 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. The states involved sent Hawkins,Andrew Pickens(South Carolina), Joseph Martin (Georgia) andLachlan McIntosh(Continental representative, Georgia) to negotiate a treaty to end the fighting. In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. Grandma might whisper this one over her hymnal if she sees you cutting up in church on Sunday morning. For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. All rights reserved. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: Quite certainly not. 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 tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. If the Creek Don't Rise: A Novel - Leah Weiss - Google Books According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. Threats not only from abroad, but internally as well, forced the fledgling nation to negotiate treaties with the tribes on the western frontier. We do our best to keep our promises, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up. (Recall, also, that the Creek who did go to war against the whites were a smaller group within the Creek nation and that the larger group remained neutral or actively assisted the whites in the warat which point they were betrayed by having the U.S. sieze all their land.). Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise - Wikipedia Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. Over yonder toward the water tower. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. If the Good Lord is Willing and the Creek don't rise It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. It can be summarised as "if all goes well". Poor little doggy. I ate that up with a spoon and did my best to read them all. The second contributor on the AOL site is simply repeating things without any understanding. We didnt. She's not looking for sweets; she wants a hug and a kiss. 133 Copy quote. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. This article about the English language is a stub. 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. During the early days of the War of 1812, one party of Creek marched north and joined the Indians fighting in Ohio and Michigan, participating in the River Raisin Massacre. Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. After eating a big, delicious Southern dinner Granny just made, you have to finish up with a slice of sweet potato pie, right? Something needed to fill in the gap: Yall is one solution associated with the South, with all generally serving to clarify more than one you is being addressed. Lately, though, I have learned to wince quickly and let it go. Given that many small farm streams were crossed without bridges, which worked find most of the time, a swollen stream would cause problems. This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). Used in a sentence - If the creek don't rise and God's willing, you should be able to see this video. 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. 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 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 It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. During the early days of the War of 1812, one party of Creek marched north and joined the Indians fighting in Ohio and Michigan, participating in the River Raisin Massacre. 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. Do You Know These Sizzlin' Southern Sayings? - Dictionary.com Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. This phrase enjoyed national exposure in 1988 after Texas Governor Ann Richards remarked: When we pay billions for planes that wont fly, billions for tanks that wont fire, and billions for systems that wont workthat old dog wont hunt.. It can be summarised as if all goes well. 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!! No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair.