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What the Clever Lyrics to Little Big Town's "The Good Lord Willing" Really Mean
This is a Little Big Town classic.
With a fast-paced beat and a bright banjo, Little Big Town's "Good Lord Willing" is one of the band's most rollicking numbers. And it almost didn't make it into the world.
The song, written by all four band members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook and Kimberly Roads, wasn't on the original version of Little Big Town's 2007 album A Place to Land. However, after releasing the album, the band left their label for Capitol Records Nashville, and in 2008, Capitol re-issued the album with additional songs, including "Good Lord Willing." The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Top Country chart.
The music video incorporates concert footage, both from on stage and backstage, with the band, their crew and their kids having fun on tour. Check it out, below, and read on for an explanation of the lyrics.
What Little Big Town's "Good Lord Willing" is about
The song tells two anecdotes about fighting your way out of a tough spot, which may be connected. In the first, the singer is "making mischief" (implied to be illegal mischief) on a hilltop in the middle of the night. Cornered by the cops, the singer takes off running, hoping they can evade capture.
In the second, it's sunrise, and the singer is "cuddled up with Audra May," who, it turns out, has a boyfriend. The boyfriend shows up looking for a fight, so once again, the singer flees, enjoying the thrill and the danger.
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Where the phrase "...and the creek don't rise" comes from
In both verses, the singer will only survive "if the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise," a popular American saying meaning, essentially, something will happen if God wants it to and life doesn't get in the way. There's no consensus on where the phrase originated, though many scholars point to floods in Appalachia as a potential explanation for the threat of a rising creek.
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Wherever it came from, the evocative phrase has inspired much more than just the Little Big Town tune. If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise is the name of a Spike Lee documentary; "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise" is the title of a Jerry Reed song made popular by Johnny Cash; and Ray LaMontagne's 2010 album was called God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise.
