My grandmother always had a quote for just about any situation. When we would ask, for instance, if we could go somewhere or do something special, her pat answer would always be "The good Lord willing and the creek don't rise." I always thought she meant if the good Lord allowed us and the creek just down the road from her house didn't flood so we couldn't get to town.
Imagine my surprise when I actually researched the origin of the quote and found it has been attributed to Benjamin Hawkins. In the 1800's he was asked to come to the capital and his answer was "God willing and the Creeks don't rise" meaning if the Lord found it favorable and the Indians (Creeks) didn't rise up in rebellion.
Isn't it funny how what we imagine a quote to mean and what the original meaning was sometimes is completely off base?
I'll still think of a flooding creek and not an Indian uprising whenever I hear someone say that!