Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. In his experience, it doesnt take much for local creeks and streams to cause trouble. 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 expression make groceries is a translation of the French faire son march (to do ones market shopping). From another source Some historians attribute Benjamin Hawkins as having been the first person to ever say these words and he did so in a letter to the President of the United States. When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. 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.. It's raining cats and dogs. Im not going to wrestle with historians and their Creek uprising story. and the word HOPE. If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise, If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise, Good Lord's Willin and The Creek Don't Rise, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_creek_don%27t_rise&oldid=1136534691, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 20:39. 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. (Im terrible about reading usernames as I scan threads, and I completely missed who had contributed that comment.). Your first citation is much stronger than your second. A true Southern tradition. 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. I have even heard the accents and many of the stories from various artists who escaped the confines of this culture and were successful in attaining fame and fortune for themselves. 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. in Williams' mouth in his tribute album Hillbilly Heaven. When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. Grandma might whisper this one over her hymnal if she sees you cutting up in church on Sunday morning. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda, Sarah, Jennifer and Porshajo. 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. If the Creek Don't Rise is a collection of hard-used characters, tangled relationships, family angst, and fortitude. If you use this phrase, you could be declaring any number of things: surprise, dissent, happiness. Poor little doggy. 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. They had a conversation in which the phrase was discussed and noted as being about the Creek Indians. While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington. 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. I am feeling culture shock from reading this book. If you hear this one, you should probably pause a moment. Kicked in the gut and sucker punched with one of the best books I have ever read. The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. The Lafayette gazette(Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. And, when the doins been done, the feller done did it. 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. Older than Methuselah. Other words sites 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. That argues for a more mundane origin: the old-time difficulties of travelling on dirt roads that forded rivers and streams; a sudden storm could cause water levels to rise without warning and render the route impassable. 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. That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. "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." 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. Change). 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. It completely nailed the "mountain living" that I remembered my grandmother talking about. 15. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. To cover your bases you might say, "I'll see you then if the creek don't rise." It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South. Charles Wilson said the flood waters are something he has to live with to enjoy residing on the river. 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 Weiss has spun me upside down in this backward county in the Appalachian mountains and made a southerner out of me. 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. If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. Apparently Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary. Note that the Creek Nation(s) did not rise at all. Wow! Fans of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek will love this intimate insight into a fiercely proud, tenacious community and relish the voices of the forgotten folks of Baines Creek. The English language is forever changing. The proper phrase is Lord willing and the Creek don't rise. Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again. 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. Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. 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. on, This page was last edited on 22 January 2022, at 17:42. Devil's beating his wife (when it would be sunny and raining). It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. 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. The tale is widely reproduced and believed nevertheless. 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. The underscore of that sentiment would be that he married his common-law wife on his deathbed and she was of the Creek Indians. Affixes dictionary. Used in a sentence - If the creek don't rise and God's willing, you should be able to see this video. This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody. Ireckon is the way many Southerners get to surmising about something or other. As they returned home, some of them also killed some settlers in the Ohio valley. Thats a mouthful, but we lumped these all together because they are allsubstitutes for (God) d*mn it. Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review. And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers? Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. The resulting warfare and predictable civilian losses in the South reportedly gave rise (using the Southern frontier penchant for willin as opposed to the educated willing) to the phrase which was then likely mistakenly attributed to Hawkins due to his Native American connections. 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. Oh, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise. 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. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. This article about the English language is a stub. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. Farmers know that if you do something 'til the cows come home, it's going to take all day. But I know of just four instances from that century. Sign up for writing inspiration in your email, , Scarlett OHara says: I do declare, Frank Kennedy, if you dont look dashing with that new set of whiskers!, The distinct English dialect of the American South, which has a close relationship with Black English (African American Vernacular English), is fascinatingand plenty lively. Well, whether its Creek or creek, it would still have much of the same effectyou wont be going where you thought you would or could. I ate that up with a spoon and did my best to read them all. A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction. What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. [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. DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . "You've heard that old saying, 'I'll be there if the creek don't rise?' Well, they've all risen, and a lot of people are staying home because of that." 04 Mar 2023 03:30:05 This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 01:18. If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss (Author), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator), Kate Forbes (Narrator). Look up Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. It's often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying. Youll thank us later! Accents vary by regionand sometimes even city to city. However, with the west in flames, both whites and Indians began organizing fighters. Its typically used to describe a situation thats gone askew, awry, or out of alignment. The 1800s and 1900s were much simpler times, as people didn't have the luxuries afforded in modern times. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. 1851. I was just hoping for something more concrete about the real origin. "If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.". Following that treaty John Siever formed the state of Franklin from land previously claimed by North Carolina but never ceded by the Indian tribes. purchase. If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. It seems this saying is a favorite expression of country singers. Georgia-born blogger Jennifer Collins says she always rolled her eyes when her mom said this to her. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. If the creek don't risewas a whimsical way of saying that the speaker would carry out some task provided that no figurative obstacle were put in his path. Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. I agree that the Indian origin sounds unlikely. "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. 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. 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. In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. While there, we happened upon a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. 'Cause everything's fine, God, I wish it were . Is this derivation correct? PS A belated congratulations on your appointment as moderator, Tom. 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. You'll most often hear it coming out of Mama's mouth when the kids are running amok. This book reminds me of that. If the Creek Dont Rise by Leah Weiss is a 2017 Sourcebooks Landmark publication. 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. 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. Cookies and privacy However, this is clearly one of those evolving language cases. 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. 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. 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. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. A very young, newly married pregnant woman, she vows her no good moonshining husband has beaten her for the last time. Whatscatawampus? It is sometimes thought that the word "Creek" instead refers to the Creek Indians, but this is unlikely. And I have used this page's title often-feeling quite sure I knew exactly what it meant. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. So the saying came about like we'll be there.God willing and the Creek (indians) don't rise..to stop us. "Like all great southern. 4.5 stars! "Lord willing and the creek don't rise" is a sort of backwoods phrase that has the same meaning, but is more folksy and less devoted. (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.). If the Creek Don't Rise Quotes Showing 1-14 of 14 "Times like these I wonder if I ever been happy. 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 happens often during a Southern summer, when the heat rises and the temperatures shoot past 100. Cant never could is a reminder that if you dont even try, you wont ever accomplish your goal. The nabbit, gonnit, gummit, blasted, and burnit match the rhythm of damn it, but they can easily be modified for use as an adjective or adverb: That dagnab idiot didnt look to the dadgum left and, dadburnit, he crossed over in my dadblasted lane and dadburn near hit me. When used as a stand-alone oath, hold out on the first syllable and accentuate the second: DaaadGUMMit! Often said as Lord willing and the creek dont rise, this expression means, with a little bit of luck and no unexpected problems, things should work out. Which means if nothing crazy happens or anything out my control such as a natural disaster. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. Some newspaper clippings are harder to determine which meaning they meant. Well, at least we thought we did.but maybe not. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. The saying has been attributed to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson among others, on the usual principle that attaching a famous name to a story validates it. 25 Southern Grandparents' Sayings That Deserve a Comeback, Forgotten Etiquette Every Child Should Learn, Kimberly Schlapman and Her Family's Tea Cakes, Lauren Alaina Talks 'American Idol', Southern Manners, and Her Grandmother's Famous Recipe, 30 Quotes That Remind Us Why Southern Manners Are So Important. Maybe not all dogs were made for hunting some prefer the warmth of a fireplace and the comfort of your lap. Here are a couple of examples of this claim. They were both corrected by a good soul who told them that Creek, for the purposes of this phrases origin, meant Creek Indian.