“I call shotgun” is a phrase I grew up saying and I still hear folks say it today. The girls used to scream “I call shotgun” as they ran to the car when we were going somewhere when they were young.
To us the phrase means getting to ride up front with whoever is driving.
The book Why You Say It written by Webb Garrison says the phrase was started in the days of the wild west when a person with a shotgun rode in the wagon usually beside the driver to keep his eyes out for trouble.
Garrison goes on to say if someone asks you to ride shotgun on a project they’re asking you to be on the look out for trouble. I’ve only heard the phrase used in reference to riding in the front seat.
If you’re like me you’ve been shocked by the number of damaged vehicles left in the wake of hurricane Helene. Every video I’ve watched shows cars and trucks tossed here and there like forgotten toys.
Please continue to pray for the storm victims many of whom have lost their vehicles and their homes. Also pray for Florida. I know several Blind Pig readers live in Florida and I’m praying for you all as the next hurricane comes your way. And of course remember to pray for all those giving aid to the ones who are suffering.
A couple in Pennsylvania would like to bring supplies down to storm victims. Do you know of any organizations in Virginia who are collecting donations? They can come all the way to TN or NC but VA would be a closer trip.
Tipper
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I’m late to the party for leaving a comment. I know that Bristol Motor Speedway is using their facility as a huge donation / staging site.
It’s available to donate or receive help also a set up area for rescue workers. They are a one stop shop so to speak. Supplies are going out in every direction from there since it’s located in the corner of VA, TN and NC. I believe they are also running helicopters from that location and have medical help.
Goodness, I’m 48 years old and I still tell my husband that I’m his shotgun rider lol. As someone mentioned in another comment here, the one riding shotgun had to open and close the cattle gates! As far as the donations, I know most local Churches have been gathering supplies and driving down. Another option is to reach out to Blue Ridge Aviation out of Weyers Cave, Va. They are flying donated supplies to areas and states they will continue to do so as long as donations are coming in. Hope this helps! God bless all! Prayers for those in the path of Hurricane Milton and continued prayers for those affected by Hurricane Helene.
Tipper, amazing. The Lord, you and your family and friends have quilted a warm quilt that covers the whole country near about. The glimpse through the window of BP&A into the minds and especially the hearts of your community is priceless.
Another sweet article. Loved riding shotgun, didn’t get to all the time, I was #2 of 7 to 10 children. 8, 9 and 10 were cousins who live with us for a time. Momma’s sisters’ kiddos. More like our brother and sisters to us. Prayers on for all. God bless everyone today, tomorrow and always. May God grant His mercy and grace. Amen. Thanks Tipper, Matt, Katie, Corie and Austin. Y’all are doing a good job. Love and best wishes always.
My 2¢ worth:
Stagecoach drivers had to have both hands to control the horses. If a highwayman attacked, the driver wouldn’t be able defend himself so another person rode beside him to provide security for him and the people inside. Since a shotgun was a better defense at close range the second person on the drivers seat most often carried one. Actually the “shotgun rider” was in control of the whole operation since the drivers attention had to be fixed on the road and the team ahead of him.
This configuration isn’t an American innovation. Anywhere where a coach was a means of public transportation there were highway robbers who preyed on them.
The power keeps going on and off so I hope I can finish this before the next interruption!
Dad had a 1962 Mercury ( used of course) and when we all (10 of us) went anywhere together, the ones that said “seat save” were the ones that got a window. Mom and dad always rode up front and set together and there was always one little one that got to ride in the back window. About once a year, we rode around close to a little store in Pedimont and dad would give us kids the choice of an orange or grape soda. Back then the lids had corkscrew in them. Dad would punch a hole in the lids of each drink so we wouldn’t spill it or get it on our clothes. I hated getting tiny pieces of that stuff in my mouth. About once a year he would ask us kids if we wanted to go ridding around and get an Ice Cream Sunday. I was little and started crying. Dad said “why are you crying?” I said “I don’t want it Sunday, I want it now.” They never let me live that down. lol They are in heaven now. I miss them so much.
Until I was 17 years old we did not go anywhere except church or the nearest town in our old car. Going anywhere in our car back then was lesson in faith. The back floorboards has rust holes in them and would be patched with a piece of tin maybe even a flattened out tin can. Sometimes me and my neighbor friend would ride our bicycles nearly two miles to the nearest country store and get the bottle caps and take them outside and pull the cork out of the caps hoping to find a cap that would let’s us get a free drink. Times were hard back then but for most of us kids we were happy as a pig in slop.
I was about 17 when we first got a car!
Hello all, one of the challenges to getting help to the parts of Virginia hurt by Helen is the distance west. I work in Fairfax (top of VA) and it’s a 6 hour drive southwest to Damascus where there was a lot of damage. It’s a shorter drive straight down 95 to NC. I fear southwest Virginia is suffering due to that. I saw someone posted some churches collecting though! Wish I could help more.
Take care,
Jeanne
Yes, riding shotgun was a highly desired position when I was growing up. I have a 79 yr. old sister who still threatens to “puke” If she can’t ride shotgun and has to sit in the back! Some things never change…
I had forgotten about “calling shotgun.” Thanks for the sweet reminder. Still praying for all affected by Helene. Prayers for Florida as they brace for Milton.
Tipper, this is for the folks from Pennsylvania that are offering to bring supplies to VA. I called Grayson county emergency services. At this time they have been overly blessed with house hold items etc and have no where to put or store them but what they do need is: feed for cattle and farm animals. All of their hay was destroyed and the farmers are having it hard going into winter. They have a place on their website Grayson county, VA. For funding donations. This will be used for buying feed and for people that lost their homes. I hope this helps. They asked me to tell everyone thank you so much for the kindness and generosity .
It was hard to call shotgun when I was growing up, as Daddy almost always drove a truck, and Mom seemed to always have a baby who rode upfront while the older kids rode in the back. The Lord watched over us as we rode in the truckbed like many other families did years ago. Kentucky has sent out so many first responders to help the flood victims. I wish I could do more than donate.
Tipper–I’m arriving a bit late this morning thanks to being a sleepyhead, but I’m surprised no one has mentioned an ancillary to “I’ve got shotgun.” Almost as common, especially when a bunch of high school kids were going to pile into a vehicle, was “I’ve got pistol.” That meant you got to ride in the middle up front (most cars came with a single seat all the way across in front and back rather than the bucket-type seats that are common in today’s vehicles). Of course calling for a seat didn’t necessarily mean you got it in such situations, because possession was nine-tenths of the law (or ride) and inevitably there was a mad scramble to be first.
Pistol was better because shotgun had to open and close gates, lol.
Yep, that usually led to an argument that usually led to getting to say home that usually led to working in the garden. lol
Yup, we used to call shot gun to get to ride in the front seat especially when my Dad was driving. I always have those poor folks dealing with Hurricane Helene damage in my heart. I’ve got my eye on Hurricane Milton for my Floridian friends. Lots of love.
I have a dear Chinese friend and co worker who asked me the meaning of to ride shotgun. He had been in the US as a student and stayed after Tiananmen Square. I told him it meant to ride in the front passenger seat next to the window. It came from the stage coach guard riding up next to the driver. I don’t know if it was from the real stagecoach days or from the western series that were prevalent when we were growing up. Double barrel shotguns were called coach guns as long as I can remember.
Chris is the most brilliant genius that I have ever known and is inquisitive about everything.
I have heard this saying all my life. When we went anywhere as a kid, my dad usually drove. My mom would then sit in the front. We would all say shotgun to be one to sit by a window in the back. There were four of us, and no one wanted to sit in the middle. With airbags, kids can’t really say “shotgun” now until they are old enough to sit in the front seat. They may have to fight over the window seats in the back like we did.
This brings back memories of my two boys who are less than 2 yrs apart. They were born about the time car seats were required and we were all sticklers for that. So when they were old enough to ride in the front seat they about wore me out calling shotgun! I hadn’t thought about that in a while. Somehow it was not easy getting them to think about their brother instead of themselves first! I guess that’s pretty normal. Thanks for the memories, Tipper. I hope their boys do that to them. Each has their own two boys but only one is old enough to ride shotgun. It’s something you and Matt can look forward to with Ira and Woody. Oh, the joys of boys!
Tipper here are a few places I found for accepting donations. Almost every town has a drop-off point for accepting donations, especially the Salvation Army. A lot of trucks have left Saturday and Sunday already.
In northern Virginia Leesburg can be called to check on current locations: 703-665-3000. Fork Union Baptist Church: call Darrin @434-989-1230 or Rachael @ 434-989-4141.
In Forest, Va call World Help @ 1-800-541-6691 for further information.
Our Church collected money for Samaritan’s Purse.
My husband and I are praying for these people affected by the storm and we are also praying that the current coming hurricane, Milton, will not be as strong as predicted and even bypass Florida and go out to the ocean. God bless you and your family for your efforts in helping the victims of Hurricane Helen.
I have never heard of the phrase, “I call shotgun.”
You did it again! Grew up “calling shotgun” but had forgotten it entirely. In later years that became the “gate getter” seat so not the easy shotgun seat it had been. Something that goes along with it is whether windows are open or not. A/C has gradually weaned a lot of people away from ever driving with open windows. I have a theory that folks who mostly work outside are the ones who still like open windows. I have never really had a love affair with air conditioning. I think it makes being outdoors harder which leads to other, and worse, effects. But then I don’t like to cater to anything I see as temptations.
I really wish I had found this website and YOU a long time ago. It’s bringing back so many memories – feel-good memories. I ‘m a Southern gal, but not from Appalachia. More like Southern Georgia and Florida. We, my husband (who is from North Carolina) and I moved to the west coast twenty years ago. For the last 12 of those 20 years, we have been vegan. But there are still so many good southern dishes we can eat. I discovered you, Ms Tipper, one day when I was looking up how to make good cornbread. I loved your video explaining it. My problem has been how to make it good without using an egg. I finally figured it out: just use 1/4 cup Duke’s plant-based mayo in place of the egg. Works like a charm. Learned how you make dumplings, too. So yummy. And fried okra! I love hearing you talk. I love your videos. And I always get to ride shotgun with my husband. You just make me happy.
Here is my Uncle Jesse’s cornbread recipe. I was born and raised in the foothills of the Smokies. I am 77 years old and grew up Killin hogs and canning from an early age. I am also a cookbook author. Tipper is a great cook. I have her book. You may like to try this for something different. It is my son’s favorite.
1 C White Lily Self-Rising Cornmeal
2 C White Lily Self-Rising Flour
Buttermilk enough to make a medium to thin batter
Preheat a cast iron skillet in a 450 degree oven. Mix all the ingredients really good. Grease the skillet good and pour the batter in. Bake until the bread is nice and brown.
Enjoy! God bless.
Oh my stars, I haven’t heard anyone say “Shot gun” since my youth. This brings back so many memories of my siblings yell shot gun as we all ran out the door to go somewhere with our mom. With five kids screaming out shot gun at the same time she would say whoever gets to the car door first gets to ride shot gun. The older siblings always got there first, but as each one either started driving or left the nest we all got our turn at riding shot gun in the car. Great memories!
Prayers for Florida and continued prayers for recovering hurricane victims everywhere.
We called shotgun too and then window seat after that . However, in our large family it didn’t matter much because the order for prime seats was usually from older to younger. I was 5th of 7 so the three youngest usually had to ride backwards in the very back of the station wagon. We called them the “get sick” seat seats or the “throw up”seats. My mom never allowed us to say puke as she thought it was a disgusting word lol.
Linda, I heard about a large family that left one kid asleep on a church pew after the service one night. The door was locked and everybody went home. Nearly home, one of the the children noticed that they were one short, so they drove back to the church, found someone with a key, and gathered up the sleeping child. This was told to me for the truth, but who knows? It might have been a tall tale.
Good morning Tipper and all. Been calling shotgun all my life. Passed it down to my girls and now my grandson’s are calling shotgun. It was a rule if whoever got shotgun first they had to take the back seat on the way back. It is a pretty sunny 37° this morning in southwest VA. Bout that time of year! Ya’ll have a good day.
Get in touch with SAMARITANS purse or the United Christian Church in Cleveland, TN about bringing aid-don’t know but hey it’s a good place to start. It makes sense to have a person “loaded for bear” beside you in a wagon and indeed some places (ok most) it’s not a bad idea in a car either as drive by etc happen hundreds of times a day across Babylon the Harlot. Have a good day all! To clean my yard I got an estimate of 25,000$ so that’s Monopoly money. Alexa said there will be an 8.4 earthquake today in Babylon here so we will see and you heard it here first! Pray like you’ve never prayed for the Lord told me “What can be shaken will be shaken!” He means EVERYTHING!!!
Any Red Cross or Salvation Army will take donations with open arms. You call the orginations in your state and find where to drop them off. A trip down here is not necessary.
D
What about punch buggy? Anyone remember saying it. Also seeing all the flood waters reminds me of my Granny who was from Macon County NC and she would call swift water a freshet
I believe my kids along with other kids would say “ punch buggy” whenever they saw a VW beetle. The first one to say it got to punch the other kid. They did not hit hard .
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by Helene and now Milton. Blessings to everyone affected by all this chaos.
I was just watching something a couple of days ago where someone yelled “I call shotgun “. Hadn’t heard that phrase in quite some time.
Continued prayers for all those impacted by the storms and those rendering aid.
O my when I was a kid we said it ALL THE TIME.
I have a nephew, niece-in-law, and young cousin in Clearwater–directly in the path of landfall. We can’t get ahold of them and are assuming they have left the area. Please pray for them. As for shotgun, I called for it, my children called for it, and so do my grandchildren. I think being up front is a pecking order type thing. Prayers for those yet to be found and for all who are searching.
Nancy, my sister in law, niece, and 5 children are in Clearwater. I haven’t heard from them today either. I will pray for your family. Also, my close friend and her family live in Tampa. A lot of people could not evacuate because of no fuel at the stations. We lift them all in prayer.
Continued prayers for our mountain people and the people on the search, rescue, and recovery missions. May the Lord of heaven and earth meet all of their needs mentally and physically!
Good morning, I remember saying I was riding shotgun as a youngster also. It was rare we got to say it, because we had older kin folks living with us and they would get the front seat when when one of our parents were not there.
In Lynchburg, VA is Gleaning for the World and in Danville, VA is God’s Pit Crew. Both of these organizations I would highly recommend.
Praying for everyone in harms way and those still suffering from Hurricane Helene.
When I was growing up and with my two children it was a “given” that we or they were going to ride in the back seat, the parents were sitting in the front seat. They also knew when they were small they were going to be in a car seat. Now in today’s world and with all of this “road rage” it might not be a bad idea to have some riding “shotgun” with you like in the days of the old west.
I found out yesterday a friend of mine lost his mobile home due to a tree splitting it in half barely missing him. He said as of yesterday he has not been able get FEMA or anyone else that is suppose to be helping to even come out and look at it. He has tried to cover the roof with a tarp to protect everything inside. Right now, no rain is insight for us, the ground is actually beginning to get dry and dusty again.
I continue to pray for all of the storm victims and the members and others in Florida that will have Milton effecting them.
Ask your respondent to check with their local Presbyterian Church. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance teams are organizing the collection of needed supplies. Our church in Columbia, SC drove supplies to a Presbyterian church in Spartanburg, SC. That church then took the supplies to Black Mountain, NC for distribution to folks in need. It is best to work with locals in NC who have the best grasp of local conditions and needs.
God bless the victims of Hurricane Helene.
Tipper,
Calling shotgun also reminds me of another old expression, “Back Seat Driver”. Most drivers had no appreciation for “Back Seat Drivers!”
I had forgotten that term. Thanks for the reminder. Praying for our world as the chaos grows. May the peace that passes all understanding fill our hearts and minds. Amen
The volunteer fire department in Raphine, Virginia is collecting goods and sending to North Carolina. They have a Facebook page with information for donations.
Sue-thank you!!
Good morning and thank you for the blog post. My husband’s aunts and uncles are in Florida, near Tampa. Lord, please keep them and everyone else safe from everything but Your perfect will. Please speak peace over this storm and the fighting in Israel, too. Let Your gospel be heard and accepted among those in Palestine and Israel. In Your Name we pray, Jesus. Amen
Amen! I’ll praying for them today. Please pray for my family down there too. The Cooper and Whited families. May all be safe in His hands. Amen