Some newspaper clippings are harder to determine which meaning they meant. 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. 1851. 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. "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. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. 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. Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. "If the creek don't rise" is a slang phrase predominantly used in the Southeastern United States and can translate to "if all goes well." It's a more conditional action statement than the famous phrase "come hell or high water." 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. 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. Creek don't rise - phrase meaning and origin - Phrasefinder Unlike the United States Postal Service, whose motto proclaims "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night" will keep them from their routes, sometimes a Southern visit is thwarted by a rising creek or other unexpected bump in the road. This article about the English language is a stub. Im not going to wrestle with historians and their Creek uprising story. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. 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. From the beginning, the first narrative of Sadie Blue, which broke my heart from the first page, it feels like it will be her story. Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. Paperback, 305 pages. Translated, this means: "We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us." Now, she admits to saying this to her children. 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. Change). Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. 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. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise - Southern Love Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Older than Methuselah. If the Creek Don't Rise: Tales From the South Kindle Edition I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. 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. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. They had a conversation in which the phrase was discussed and noted as being about the Creek Indians. Doh! The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. Hardy citizens awoken by first responders urging evacuation If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen." The underscore of that sentiment would be that he married his common-law wife on his deathbed and she was of the Creek Indians. 132 Copy quote. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. Is this derivation correct? You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. All rights reserved. IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE - Leah Weiss (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise rural If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. However, this is clearly one of those evolving language cases. [3] The capitalization of the word Creek supposedly referred to the Creek Indian tribe rather than a body of water.[4][5]. 30 Phrases Only Southerners Use I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. 133 Copy quote. Depending on where you are, youre likely to hear words combined together (gonna for going to) and different vowel sounds than youre used to, including mah for my and git for get.Git has been in use since the 16th century all over the country, but is particularly common in the South, where it appears in everything from classic literature (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird) to personal correspondence (I want you to write me as soon as you git this letter, from a letter dating back to the Civil War). 15 Kentucky Sayings Other People Wouldn't Understand - OnlyInYourState 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! (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. Theres probably a connection between eternal damnation and tarnation. You Cant Use These English Words In The UK, Understanding Black History: 10 Terms That Illuminate The Black Experience In The US. 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 . We do our best to keep our promises, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances come up. 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. 50 of the Best Southern Sayings | Serving Up Southern That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. Poor little doggy. If we relied on written sources it would be hard to believe in such continued use. On his deathbed he married the Creek woman who had been his common-law wife. What better way to sweeten the sour than with a classic Southern libation? When I was growing up, this was something we said all of the time. God willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". If you're trying to be nice, but you just can't quite let it go, "bless your heart" is a go-to. Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in return for an unbiased review. "If God so wills, and as long as intense rain does not wash away bridges or parts of dirt roads, or cover roads too deeply for safely following them." 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. Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. 1851. Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise - phrase meaning and origin For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. 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. 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. origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise" - Factual Questions 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. "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." Signed in November, 1785, A Treaty With the Cherokee (the technical name of the Treaty of Hopewell) created the first rift between theCherokee Nationand the Chickamauga Cherokee that would not end until the Chickamauga went West following the Revolt of the Young Chiefs. She's not looking for sweets; she wants a hug and a kiss. 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. 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). Weiss has a unique voice. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time. 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. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. The 1800s and 1900s were much simpler times, as people didn't have the luxuries afforded in modern times. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. Hawkins served under George Washington as General Superintendent for Indian Affairs (17961818) and had responsibility for the Native American tribes south of the Ohio River, and was principal Indian agent to the Creek Indians.