Your first citation is much stronger than your second. Cant never could is a reminder that if you dont even try, you wont ever accomplish your goal. 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. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. 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. 132 Copy quote. When you're in the South, "over yonder" is a distant directionany direction. But today Ive stumbled across the claim that it refers to an uprising by the Creek (or Cree) Indians. It can be summarised as if all goes well. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. Southerners tell it like it isno matter what it isso think of this as a learning moment. on, This page was last edited on 22 January 2022, at 17:42. 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. But in following verses the rhyme changes through "creeks don't rise", "creek stay low", back to "creeks don't rise". 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. I absolutely loved the southern voice of these characters throughout this book. Oh, how I loved this story - I simply didnt want it to end! Learn how your comment data is processed. [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. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. God willing and the creek don't rise If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. In other words, Ill make it to Grandmas if the indians dont go on the warpath. In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. 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. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. 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. The second contributor on the AOL site is simply repeating things without any understanding. Do You Know These Sizzlin Southern Sayings. The catchphrase itself was associated with Hank Williams. 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.. 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. 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. Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? 15 Odd Southern Sayings Their Origins - Bourbon and Boots This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda, Sarah, Jennifer and Porshajo. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. Creek don't rise - phrase meaning and origin - Phrasefinder Here are a couple of examples of this claim. "The Good Lord willing and the 'creek' don't rise" is just one of them. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. Take a look at some of our favorite Southern sayings that we just couldn't live without. Synonyms [ edit] (barring unforeseen circumstances): God willing, Lord willing Translations [ edit] show phrase References [ edit] Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not "rise" at all. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. The most interesting often hail from our older generations, such as the WWII era and those raised by them. HARDY, Ark. (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.). A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.". Copyright 2023 KAIT. Eventually, you became a singular pronoun, and we lost the plural pronouns. In his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Phrase [ edit] Lord willing and the creek don't rise ( idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE - Leah Weiss Region 8 News on Twitter: ""You've heard that old saying, 'I'll be The Creek so-called civil war of 1812 involving the Red Stick faction, and their combat North and South, appears to have been an impetus for that forts creation. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. 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). PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. Disney lost control of its Florida kingdom for opposing the "Don't Say Page created 25 Feb. 2012, Problems viewing this page? Firsts, Mines, Asks. Statements of the form "God/Lord willing and (some other condition being met)" are ancient extensions of simple acceptance of God's will in phrases like God willing and Lord willing. The English language is forever changing. God willing and the creek don't rise - World Wide Words Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. Ireckon is the way many Southerners get to surmising about something or other. "He broke bout every piece of sweet in you. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. In fact, Georgia and South Carolina produce more peaches than any other states in the South. The thing isI read one that I have never stopped thinking about. An odd few (6% of Americans) do use soft drink, according to the Pop vs. Lord willing and the creek don't rise - Wiktionary Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe. A sister who is afraid of losing her brother and Sadie's grandmother and aunt, all tell their stories adding to Sadie's own. 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. The expression ". 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. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. I am usually among those who bristle at change in usage. This string of double negatives is actually meant as encouragement! Threats not only from abroad, but internally as well, forced the fledgling nation to negotiate treaties with the tribes on the western frontier. If The Creek Don't Rise. We didnt. To cover your bases you might say, "I'll see you then if the creek don't rise." The researchers went on to cite two different publications in the 1800s in which the authors did not capitalize the word creek, leading one to believe they did not mean the people proper. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Talk:Lord willing and the creek don't rise - Wiktionary Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. What's The Difference Between Y'all And Ya'll? (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). The phrase may be accompanied by a gesture indicating north, south, east, or west. This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. The expression is incorrectly attributed on modern social media[citation needed] to an Indian agent, Benjamin Hawkins, in the late 18th century in a rumored letter not found in any archive to the U.S. President. Who better to write about the risks of the Creek rising in revolt? Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. There is a lot of controversy about this fairly common folk saying. So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. Following that treaty John Siever formed the state of Franklin from land previously claimed by North Carolina but never ceded by the Indian tribes. I ate that up with a spoon and did my best to read them all. If the Creek Don't Rise|Paperback - Barnes & Noble "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.