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). Nor is grammar an argument in favor the the subject being plural. It is a breathtaking and gritty portrayal of hillbilly life from the year 1970 which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. Although he admits when the rain starts to fall, it makes him a little nervous. This was the phrase that he always used, at the end of each performance. Jan 29, 2014 at 19:34 . 4.5 stars! 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. I've been in a slump of just ok books and was craving one that was special. When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man upstairs'. It can also be the opening to striking a bargain, sharing a strongly held opinion, or offering a piece of advice you may or may not want to hear. You dont know whats underneath that water, Rose said. It's true, we do have a mouthful of sayings that only Southerners understand. In fact, virtually all the examples that Ive found in books and newspaper archives down to the present day are in lower-case. Im a longtime admirer of your calm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge. Change). 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. God willing and the creek don't rise If all goes as it should; if everything goes well. "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." Let me love you again, give me one more try. It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. Marty Stuart places the words "If the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll see you in the mornin'." DeSantis's year-long quest to strip Disney of its self-rule came after the entertainment giant, and Florida's . Somehow, the word went full circle and is now considered a distinctly Southern invention. The exact tranlation might be, 'If God is willing, and there isn't a flood that would prevent us from meeting again next week'. I will be at church on Sunday. Baines Creek, high up in the Appalachian mountain, a poor place filled with impoverished people, a place where moonshine is king. What better way to sweeten the sour than with a classic Southern libation? Positive thinking, Southern style. It's a more conditional statement of intent than come hell or high water. I absolutely loved the southern voice of these characters throughout this book. It mentions Benjamin Hawkins of the late 18th century, who was asked by the US president to go back to Washington. Grandma might whisper this one over her hymnal if she sees you cutting up in church on Sunday morning. But, what we do know is English once used you and ye strictly to address a group of people. Its especially difficult for people that live south of River Road and some of them that live in Woodland Hills. To cover your bases you might say, "I'll see you then if the creek don't rise." 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. (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 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. Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. Thats exactly who I was hoping would reply to my question. 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 Pot callin the kettle black. (Yes, it is terrible grammar, but that is how it is said. Theres probably a connection between eternal damnation and tarnation. 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. Its worth looking into because of the way in which it has been elaborated in the version you quote.. The distinct English dialect of the American South, which has a close relationship with Black English (African American Vernacular English), is fascinatingand plenty lively. In his reply, he was said to have written, God willing and the Creek dont rise. She captures the whole Appalachian scene - the vocabulary, the falling down houses, the likker, the poverty. The grit and darkness don't just belong to Sadie, though. [1][2], Classic versions of its use tend to be along the lines of "The good Lord willing, and the creek doesn't rise"i.e. And yes, I have heard the music of this culture and watched the dancing. 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. 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. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. 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. 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. A search for the word rise does not produce this phrase, so it appears that the body of water theory was correct after all. Where did this contraction, popular in both African American English and Southern American English, come from? You'll most often hear it coming out of Mama's mouth when the kids are running amok. But we declareif your only knowledge of Southern sayings comes fromGone With the Wind, youre missing out on a lot of Southern expressions. The swear-word equivalent would be something along the lines of No sh*t!I declare may have come from an English oath (the sworn proclamation kind) declaring that no foreign parties have power to subvert the Crown. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. 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. This is a high compliment in the South, since Southern states are known for their peaches. It was bad as all get out. Feller-citizens Im not customed to public speakin before sich highfalutin audiences. This Southern saying, God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise. !, Reckon has ancestry tracing all the way back to the 1000s (and maybe older still), and originally means to count, calculate.. We've had a lot of delays, but God willing and the creek don't rise, we should have the house finished before winter. It turns out that the phrase was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. Then theres a long gap in the record before it began to appear again in the 1950s. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. There is no reason to suppose the Indian variant is true. Leah Weiss introduces her extraordinary characters as chapters unfold and each one has their own peculiarity. 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! For instance, I might promise to show up for Christmas at Grandmas if the good Lords willing and the creek dont rise. When you've met the girl of your dreams, chances are she is "pretty as a peach." 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. Only 15 days into her marriage to Roy Tupkin and Sadie Blue is already . Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest. If The Creek Don't Rise. Well, I found it. (KAIT) - Its been a busy 24 hours for first responders in Sharp County. A: "Do you reckon we'll have enough from this harvest to make ends meet?" But, in the South, if your boss says that dog wont hunt in a meeting, it probably means your suggestion or idea needs improvement. A handful of rivers and streams will be out of their banks by Friday evening and Saturday morning. That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. The Lafayette gazette (Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett OHara says: I do declare, Frank Kennedy, if you dont look dashing with that new set of whiskers!. She's seventeen, pregnant and two weeks into her marriage to Roy Tupkin, after enduring brutal beatings, Sadie knows she has made a mistake. Whatscatawampus? 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. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. 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. A multipurpose Southernism. Synonyms [ edit] (barring unforeseen circumstances): God willing, Lord willing Translations [ edit] show phrase References [ edit] The proper phrase is Lord willing and the Creek don't rise. The Lafayette gazette(Louisiana), 3 Nov. 1894. If you've read the book summary, you already know Sadie Blue lives with a devil of a man, but she's not the only one who has lived with a wife beater of a husband. You gonna let him break your spirit, too? Positive thinking, Southern style. DeSantis ends Disney's free reign over Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. False folk etymology. "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. If the Creek Dont Rise by Leah Weiss is a 2017 Sourcebooks Landmark publication. The earliest example known is this mock rustic speech: Feller-citizens Im not customed to public speakin before sich highfalutin audiences. "The Good Lord willing and the 'creek' don't rise" is just one of them. Because he capitalized Creek its asserted that he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a body of water. Unarguable Southern criticism. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, origin of phrase - "if the creek don't rise". 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.. 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.
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