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. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. Whatscatawampus? "He broke bout every piece of sweet in you. 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. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. If you refer to itno matter the brand or flavoras Coke, chances are you grew up in the South. Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.". This one may be self-explanatory, but we can imagine it originating back in the days of stagecoaches, when horse-and-buggy pairs filled the streets. 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. If the Creek Dont Rise by Leah Weiss is a 2017 Sourcebooks Landmark publication. Ireckon is the way many Southerners get to surmising about something or other. So, if during the time of Benjamin Hawkins life, the Creek Indians were experiencing the longest period of peace, why would he fear that they would rise. Though youre likely to hear Southernisms such as. (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.). Page created 25 Feb. 2012, Problems viewing this page? When I was growing up, this was something we said all of the time. 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). 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. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. 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. The General replied to Stonewall Jackson that he would send troops "the Good Lord is willing and the Creeks don't rise (in rebellion). !, Reckon has ancestry tracing all the way back to the 1000s (and maybe older still), and originally means to count, calculate.. Someone reminded me not to be reminded of you. 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. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." 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. 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. 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. 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. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: Quite certainly not. "The Good Lord willing and the 'creek' don't rise" is just one of them. Some newspaper clippings are harder to determine which meaning they meant. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. 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. Your email address will not be published. Andrew Jackson sent a request for reinforcements before the Battle Of New Orleans. When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. There is no reason to suppose the Indian variant is true. 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 Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. Can't Never Could. 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 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. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen." Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." The underscore of that sentiment would be that he married his common-law wife on his deathbed and she was of the Creek Indians. 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. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). By date order (spelling and titling may vary): Not to be confused with the Ray LaMontagne album, If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine All Music Guide to Country 0879307609 2003 Page 629 Jerry Reed "Here I Am collects his complete recordings for Capitol (30 songs), most of which were originals. 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. And, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, come March of next year, I'll be 225 years old. Theres two or three creeks, he said. by Leah Weiss. It mentions Benjamin Hawkins of the late 18th century, who was asked by the US president to go back to Washington. This phrase isn't about physical appearance. In the Deep South? 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. It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. However, the first President to move to Washington was John Adams on 1 November 1800. It may take the form of real or mock dialect, in variations like " Lor' willin' an' th' crick don' rise.". 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. Where did this contraction, popular in both African American English and Southern American English, come from? Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. 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. Turn around, and please dont drive through it. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. A true Southern tradition. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Copyright 2023 KAIT. 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. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. I was going to ask him why, but I had to shoot him. The exact tranlation might be, 'If God is willing, and there isn't a flood that would prevent us from meeting again next week'. 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. 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. 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. 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. Given that many small farm streams were crossed without bridges, which worked find most of the time, a swollen stream would cause problems. Lyndon Johnsons wife Lady Bird was fond of the phrase, and she wasnt one to cast aspersions on native Americans. Take a load off the ole dogs, sit on your front porch, and let your know neighbors know about that sugar honey iced teayou had to deal with today. Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . Paperback, 305 pages. 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. It's often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying. Older than Methuselah. And that is the highest praise from me. 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. 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. In response to a request that he return to Washington D.C., he wrote, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." 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. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. Chief Rose is asking drivers to be cautious while out and about. And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers? You may still hear it if you stop into a country store. Unarguable Southern criticism. I've never forgotten it and it's drove me nuts because I would love a copy of it. Stop right there! Farmers know that if you do something 'til the cows come home, it's going to take all day. According to World Wide Words, when asked if it meant Creek Indians, their expert responded with: " Quite certainly not. Cookies and privacy I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. And yes, they roll their eyes, too. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. Positive thinking, Southern style. purchase. The expression make groceries is a translation of the French faire son march (to do ones market shopping). 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.". What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise.