Pap’s Big Garden 2013
When I was growing up Pap worked in the garden when he come in from work. For many years he drove a fuel truck and delivered oil to homes and stations. Since he had a regular route he’d start early in the morning before daylight and some days he’d be home by three o’clock or so.
He’d often work a couple of hours on Saturday morning, but the majority of the garden was done after he come in from work during the week.
The other day I got the phrase ‘come in from work’ on my mind. A quick look in the Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English turned up many come phrases.
- come a little bit of (also come a little to, come an ace of, come as nigh as, come in a bean, come in a one, come in a pea, come in one, come nigh as a pea, come within one of): to come very close to or barely miss doing something. The most common version of this one in my area is: I come in a one. “I come in a one of telling him exactly what I thought about his foolishness!”
- come along (also come on, come up): Of a person to grow up. 1973 GSMNP I come up the hard way.
- come and go home with me: used as an invitation to visit. One of my favorite sayings of hospitality! Blind Pig & the Acorn is used as a source in the dictionary. 2010 Blind Pig Two “goodbyes” that we’ve heard all our lives are “Come go home with me” (said by the folks who are leaving) and “You ought to just spend the night” (said by the folks who you’ve been visiting with).
- come by: to obtain or to pay a brief visit. 1989 Matewan They come by and asked me one time about a job.
- come down dusky: Of daylight: to come to an end. “We better head on home its about come down dusky.”
- come to borrow fire: To pay a brief visit, be impatient to leave. 1931 Combs Have you come to borry far (fire) that ye’re in sech a hurry?
Are you familiar with any of the come usages?
Tipper
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“I think it’s gonna come a storm”.
The phrase “I come in a one” made me think of my mother. She was from West Virginia, and used that phrase often.
I love “come down dusky”. Such a rich imagery in these phrases!
I noticed that several people have substituted the word “came” for “come” in their comments. Came is not a part of my basic understanding of the Southern Appalachian language. I was way up in school before I learned that outsiders wanted me to use “came” as the past tense of come. At first I rejected their efforts but wanting to make better grades I succumbed, at least during school hours. I also learned that these outsiders had come to our communities with their talk and their ways and demanded we accept them as our own. I learned to speak and write their “English” because they had, in essence, colonized us.
Some people give in easily and more completely. Some of us will resist to the end then die and all will be forgotten. Southern Appalachia will soon blend in with the rest of the World as if it was there for it from the beginning. The colonizers, having destroyed a most beautiful thing, will set its sights on other uniqueness.
Your post reminds me of ‘ya’ll come’ and ‘ya’ll come back, now’ !!!
Come on, Tipper. This here technology that allows us to communicate is come late but I hope not quick to go. We’ve come along here to come to know a bunch of good folks. Your blog is the come on for that.
If’n you’re ever in Texas come by and sit a spell.
Cousin Robert do you live “down in Texas” or “out in Texas”.
your comment made me smile.
great clarification.
I am unfamiliar with any of these sayings but I adore colorful language and greatly respect Tipper for what she is doing.
I grew up hearing ‘come in from work’ and my family & I still use it. ‘Come up the hard way’ & ‘come by’ & ‘coming up dusky’ I also grew up hearing and have used.
I’ve heard most of them throughout my life, but only used, “Come nigh” and “Come on home” or “Come on by”. Love our Appalachia language! Thank you, Tipper for keeping our unique, fun, colorful and wonderful culture that expands many generations back, alive and well for future generations to come. We are blessed to be Appalachia strong.
Tipper, just when I think my bowl of memories is full, you post something like this! Thank you.
Most of the phrases are familiar to me. And two are completely new: “Come down dusky” and “Come to borrow fire.” The familiar phrases are a comfort from long ago, and the latter are so descriptive that they will remain with me. Thank you!
P.S. Thank you for continuing to pray for us in Central Texas. As is true for all people everywhere who have experienced the horror and fatigue of the unwanted, the unknown and the disastrous, adapting to a new normal will take time and the grace of God. May God cause resilience to flourish in all.
Yesterday we had brief periods of rain on and off throughout the day and night. This morning, a solid blanket of heavy grey cloud still stretches from horizon to horizon. But if one looks carefully, one can see the blanket rippling and moving across the sky as if drawn by a helping hand.
May God bless all y’all!
P.P.S How is Granny today?
When my first child was a baby, I left her with my sister and took my mom to go visit her sister who was ill. I was not used to leaving my baby for long and anxious to get back to her. Apparently my aunt thought our visit was too short. As we prepared to leave she asked if we’d come after
“a coal”. I ask mom what she meant. She said it was an indication that we were in a hurry to get home with hot coals to build a fire. They were raised in Arkansas. That’s the only time I remember hearing the saying. I did hear coming on dark or daylight many times.
Many times I heard and used, “I come in a hair of…”Telling him off, punching him in the nose, giving her a big kiss, etc.
Growing up in upstate South Carolina, I grew up hearing people say, “I came within a hair…” of doing or saying something.
Ron, I have lived in southern Greenville County, SC (Princeton) all of my life. I have heard and will say “I came within a nat’s hair of doing something,” last night it was falling down in my gravel driveway. If you are of the older generation, you fully understand my earlier comment about the old time cotton mills.
Where I come from it was something on the other end of the gnat! Rhymes with gas.
Folks I knew would say “ Did you come to borrow a match?”
I am familiar with all of the “come” phrases. The first one would more likely be “come in a hair of” or “come in one hair of”.
The “borrying fire” phrase, if anyone doesn’t know, harkens back to the time before matches became common. You had to keep a fire going at all times, otherwise when it went out you would have to go to a neighbor, get a live coal and rush home before it burned out. Of course you wouldn’t stay long.
Come a one and come by I’ve heard. For instance-“the awful day of Helene there come a wind like you never saw twisting them tree tops!” And “Good garden food is sure hard to come by. It’s rare as gold!” or “FEMA come by a’nosing after Helene. Glad they got to steppin’!” I’m sure Pap worked in the garden all he could after working all day and trying not to get blown sky high in a fuel truck which ain’t easy in the hills near Georgia! He was a fine man, husband, daddy, gardener, soldier, veteran, musician, Christian, worker and paw paw just to name off a few!!! Good men aren’t as common as they once were. Believe that!
heard all of them but also on the ‘come by’ we use it to mean ‘get’ ‘obtain’ ‘come to be’ “how did you come by such a good looking rooster” “how did you come by living on the mountain”
I’ve heard and used came up and come by.
come and go home with me brought a chuckle. My favorite uncle and aunt were visiting my grandmother (my aunt’s mother). As Uncle Bo always said when he left anybody, “Come on and go home with us.” To his surprise my grandmother said let me get a suit case. She took him up on his offer and spent the week with them. She said it was one of the grandest times she ever had. She didn’t have to do a thing for a whole week.
The moral is “If you don’t meant it, don’t say it.” While surprised by her, my aunt and uncle were not disappointed when she took him up on the offer.
Oh yes! I grew up hearing some several of those. The first that leaps to mind is, “What’d ya come after, a chunk of far?” Said about a hurried visit. Another is “I come in a pea of sliding off the hill.” And I recall one about “I come off of there a flying..” usually meaning to step down but can also mean sudden motion of other kinds. One of my own favorites is, “I come to realize …”. I like it especially because it is a very accurate way to characterize a dawning understanding. As you say, “come” can be adapted to all kinds of uses, just limited by the inventiveness of the speaker. Remember the line from the Beverly Hillbillies them song, “Jed, come away from thar. Said California is the place you let to be….” ?
I’m familiar to some but not all. Another use of come by is “He comes by it honestly” referring to a family trait meaning if he is stubborn, kind, etc.
My Granddaddy would do like your Daddy. He’d go to work at Coats and Clark (several of male family members went together) then when he came home from work he’d put on his overalls and work at home.
He was a tough one. Boy how I loved him. I followed his every step when I could.
I’ve heard three of them and have only read about coming to borrow fire.
Oddly, that made me think of Downton Abby (the series) when the Dowager Countess asked “What is a week end?” There was a time when the work week wasn’t really known, at least by the aristocracy.
Around here we say “come in a hair of” when relating how close something was to happening. I’ve never heard “come to borrow fire”, but that could definitely apply to my pappaw. He wouldn’t stay very long anywhere ge went. He and his brother went from Tennessee to Florida to stay a week with their aunt. They got there, spent the night and came home the next day!
“Came within an inch”, comes to mind of hearing as a description of how near something almost happened.
Most of the phrases are familiar to me. My cousin was out of town when my sister and I visited our hometown to attend to some business. She messaged later and asked if we come in last weekend. That is a common usage when someone goes off to live elsewhere; they come in when they come back to visit. My corn has come and gone, and now I’m waiting for my melons to come in.
Come up hard, come go home with us, come by and come dusky dark are ones I grew up with.
Glad Matt got his mater sammich.
I love em as well especially with bacon.
I forgot one which was and is common: Come in and sit a spell.
I have heard people say: “comin on nightfall”, and comin in from work.
I love the visitor’s and hosts remarks. I think it’s so sweet that hospitality in Appalachia is so vivid and gracious.
I’m familiar with a few of them but “come to borrow fire ” is a new one on me. I like it!
Heard it all my life growing up: Come in from work – He come up the hard way – come along – come by. Most used was “come and go home with me.” Really all of them are familiar:)
Also, wanted to say Great Job Katie on Looking for God at the trash dump! Ya all ought to come by the The Pressley Girls and check it out.
All of these phrases are very familiar to me. I am a child of the 40s and I had 3 great Grandmother’s. 2 of them lived in the hollers of Del Rio. As a small child I thought it was so funny when my great-grandmother Reese would say did you come after some fire. Of course mom had to explain it to me that she wanted us to stay longer. I miss the old days, and many of the old ways and I sure do miss the old people. NOW I am the oldest cousin on both sides of our family. And my cousins love to remind me I am the matriarch of the family! LOL
They are all common to us but come down dusky or come in a one. I’ve not heard of those.
Our garden looks beautiful, but we planted very late due to so much rain. It’s strange after so many years of such big gardens to have one small one. I’m still hoping for some corn smut, but we’ll have to see.
We continue to pray for NC and Texas. May the Lord be near to those who are suffering. Truly heartbreaking. God bless all y’all.
Both my Daddy and my father in law would come home from hard manual labor blue collar work each day and work until dark at home in their large gardens or doing other things depending on the time of the year. Children had chores to do, such as gathering things from the garden, feeding the animals or bringing in firewood to help out. Often times, both of these men would work overtime and still do this 6 days a week. Neither one would work on things at home on Sunday, they both would get up on Sunday morning, go to church with their family, come home and rest in the afternoon and go back to church for the Sunday night service. They also didn’t miss very many Wednesday night services. Nowadays for many, Sunday means no more to them than any other day of the week, they will do anything but go to church on Sunday. At one time in the past these same work ethics (principals) applied to many of the other men in my neighborhood. Being around men with characteristics like this is another reason I look back and wish I could go back to the older days of my life. My Daddy worked many years in a textile mill (known as cotton mill in the south) would come home, and pour water out of his shoes from sweating while working in one the closed, sealed up window cotton mills. The mill would have salt tablets set out for the workers to take. I remember him saying on some of the hot summer days it would be over 100 degrees in the department he worked in.