Its not a recent change. 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. This is our creative way of saying that you shouldn't crow like a rooster about your wealth and belonging today, because it could all disappear tomorrow. If the Creek Don't Rise is a collection of hard-used characters, tangled relationships, family angst, and fortitude. Maya Rodale is a best-selling romance author. I always took it as a reference to the level of water in a creek. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. The request was to a general that had troops near Horseshoe Bend Alabama, protecting settlers against a Creek Indian uprising. We admit that we've heard this Southernism more than once. It was so enjoyable and fun reading and discussing the book with them. If the creek rises, travel will be impossible and Ill never get to Grannys. What better way to sweeten the sour than with a classic Southern libation? HARDY, Ark. Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? 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.. Given that many small farm streams were crossed without bridges, which worked find most of the time, a swollen stream would cause problems. Theres two or three creeks, he said. God willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com In other words, Ill make it to Grandmas if the indians dont go on the warpath. John Wayne. What is the origin of the phrase the good Lord willing and the creek dont rise? Sentences With "Lord willing and the creek don't rise" | Random 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. Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. Hang onto both and 'tough it out'. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" B: "God willing and the creek don't rise." Two years after the signing of the treaty, Benjamin Hawkins died at the site known as Old Agency. 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. It was set in the Ozark mountains featuring what some people called a witch. purchase. If the good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise. Her grandmother Gladys tells us of her awful past ridden with the drunkenness and senseless abuse. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. My officers and fire department, we went along the river houses and notified everybody and recommended evacuation, said Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose. (LogOut/ The phrase "God willing." - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange If the Creek Dont Rise by Leah Weiss is a 2017 Sourcebooks Landmark publication. If the Creek Don't Rise: A Novel - Leah Weiss - Google Books As was the case with Dr Mattox, the remark is routinely attributed to first being said by Benjamin Hawkins. Im told it was a sign-off tag line of the 1930s US radio broadcaster Bradley Kincaid. 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. Phrase [ edit] Lord willing and the creek don't rise ( idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances. Be it Gods will, or, we go to war, my plans will go according to one of those two choices. (the good) Lord willing and the creek don't rise - TheFreeDictionary.com 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. Threats not only from abroad, but internally as well, forced the fledgling nation to negotiate treaties with the tribes on the western frontier. 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. I'm a sucker for the well turned phrase and I was highlighting sentences here, one after another. The approximately 20,000 Creek Indians that still exist reside in Oklahoma. In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett OHara says: I do declare, Frank Kennedy, if you dont look dashing with that new set of whiskers!. I grew up with that saying and Ive said it more times than I can count. In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. She's seventeen, pregnant and two weeks into her marriage to Roy Tupkin, after enduring brutal beatings, Sadie knows she has made a mistake. An exclamationof surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotionthat is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. "Like all great southern. Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). The clipping below from 1892 is a reference to flooding waterways not allowing the postmaster to get to his office. You'll also find a longer version of my official bio: It's bold, powerful, dark and hard to believe that this is a debut novel. 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. It may take the form of real or mock dialect, in variations like " Lor' willin' an' th' crick don' rise.". Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. If the Good Lord is Willing and the Creek don't rise "If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.". (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. And that is the highest praise from me. She's not looking for sweets; she wants a hug and a kiss. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" This phrase isn't about physical appearance. Firsts, Mines, Asks. The New Madrid earthquake (reputedly the largest in recorded history in North America) created the division between traditionalist Creek (Red Sticks) and those more willing to seek accommodation with the majority of the tribe. Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. If the Creek Don't Rise. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. To cover your bases you might say, "I'll see you then if the creek don't rise." Someone once said that when you visit the South, you need a translator. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. "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. (LogOut/ 4.5 stars! Some say it originated with the Scottish-Irish term ye aw. It was bad as all get out. 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. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine. The word you use for a fizzy, carbonated drink reveals a lot more about you than you know. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. 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). If the Creek Don't Rise: Tales From the South Kindle Edition In the Deep South? While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. Every researcher who has investigated the expression has dismissed an Indian connection as untrue. Grahams American Monthly Magazine, Jun. Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. The written record dates the saying from about the middle of the nineteenth century. The "creek don't rise" phrase is now sometimes credited to this time of unrest and displacement. What in tarnation? But if the supposed letter was ever written, it doesnt now exist in any archive that any researcher has so far found (his letters have been published, if anybody would like to check). Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. 15. 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. IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE - Leah Weiss Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again. 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 If you just heard your mama come home and you haven't finished your chores, she will definitely be "madder than a wet hen." Apparently Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. on, This page was last edited on 22 January 2022, at 17:42. 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. He was a politician and Indian agent. Have you ever seen a wet hen? by Leah Weiss. (I would not be surprised to discover that the last contributor on your first link is none other than our own samclem.). "He broke bout every piece of sweet in you. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The General replied to Stonewall Jackson that he would send troops "the Good Lord is willing and the Creeks don't rise (in rebellion). There is no typical Southern accent. I reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as: I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." But did he really say the words quoted or was a phrase morphed to include him as the author? If you hear this one, you should probably pause a moment. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. Lord willing and the creek don't rise - Wiktionary And yes, they roll their eyes, too. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. "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. If you use this phrase, you could be declaring any number of things: surprise, dissent, happiness. This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda, Sarah, Jennifer and Porshajo. 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. A preacher who hires a very different kind of woman than is usually found in these parts. 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!. A rising creek could spell trouble, as it can lead to flooding and other issues. Like trying to meet a friend for lunch but having the car breakdown on the way. PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. There is a lot of controversy about this fairly common folk saying. 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. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. If the Creek rose, Hawkins would have to be present to quell the rebellion. writes one commentator.. It mentions . 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. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian. 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. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. But I know of just four instances from that century. God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise - Southern Love Because this is a progressive verb (youll make progress with it for sure), remember You were fixin to patch the hole in the wall. Never say you fixed to do it! If the Creek Don't Rise Quotes by Leah Weiss - Goodreads "Druthers" roughly translates to "I would rather," meaning, "If had things my way" The phrase is celebrated in song in the hilarious, Southern-inspired Broadway musical Li'l Abner, in which the title character sings "If I had my druthers, I'd druther have my druthers than anything else I know." The Cree and the Creek lived over a thousand miles apart, (the Cree are from Canada), so we now have people contributing folk etymologies that are nonsense on their face. Dylan LeBlanc - If The Creek Don't Rise Lyrics | Genius Lyrics Baines Creek, high up in the Appalachian mountain, a poor place filled with impoverished people, a place where moonshine is king. Someone kicked in with we say cricks. 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. Curiously, this word might have roots in offbeat British humor from the 1840s. Following that treaty John Siever formed the state of Franklin from land previously claimed by North Carolina but never ceded by the Indian tribes. Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. the creek don't rise " is an American slang expression implying strong intentions subject to complete frustration by uncommon but not unforeseeable events. At the time Hawkins was Congressman, he joined other well known Southeastern American leaders in negotiating a major treaty with the Creek and Cherokee at the South Carolina city of Hopewell. My favorite variant is the phrase Hank Williams Sr. sometimes used to end his shows: "Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you before long." - MT_Head. 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. 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. Now, she admits to saying this to her children. Disney lost control of its Florida kingdom for opposing the "Don't Say The dialect is obscure and living conditions primitive with a feel more like the 1870's than the 1970's..so backward..so uncivilized..the men so brutal and lawless, and for Sadie Blue, life seems grave. No matter where you go in Kentucky, the people often have some colorful expressions. Ain't got no dog in that race. (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.). Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. This one originates from the 19th century, when Carter Products marketed "Little Liver Pills" across the country. A true Southern tradition. Quick, what do you call a soft drink? In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. "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]. Yes, I had heard of the Appalachians and how the culture spreads along those mountains over more than a dozen States.