On today's show (WFYI @ noon), there was a reference to I (or I'll) Swanee used similar to "I declare" or a similar expression. I live in and have grown up in Indiana. When I was a child, I heard older people say, "I swan" used in the same way. Neither my husband nor I had ever heard "I Swanee," but it was interesting to hear of a similar expression used in the same way. Perhaps this is a regional variation.
I've never heard that used, but I think it's great. I went to a tiny college in TN called "Sewanee."
It's not a river!
I'm grew up in Mississippi in the 40's thru the 60's and remember my grandmother and mother used the term "I'll swanee" although they pronounced it "I'll swunee." I've been in California since '68, and never have heard the expression out here.
My grandmother used to say that whenever she was surprised. (This was in the early to mid fifties.) I never could understand whether she was saying "I swanee" or "I'll swanee", but I never thought about it until now. She was born in Troup, Texas (or in Georgia, we never found out which), which is in east Texas, but was raised in Kerens, Texas (south of Dallas). The saying never caught on with my mother or any of us kids.
My family was from north east Texas, near Paris and when I was a child I heard my grandmother use this term "I Swan" often, but haven't heard this used since. Have never before heard of it being used. Thought it was just heard in my mother's family.