And where does it come from.
I’ve heard a few people (southerners) use the term, but I don’t know exactly where they were from. A friend of the family when I was a kid said it a lot. She was from Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama as I remember. She used to tell me stories in her beautiful drawl. She was, I think, the first woman I ever lusted after in my nine-year-old-boy way. If I did something silly (or stupid) she’s say “Well I swan, George” and "Whatever are you thinking of. 
Anyway, what’s up with that?
Peace,
mangeorge
I most often heard it as “I swan to goodness!” – a euphemism for “I swear to God!”
Another opinion on the origin, from YourDictionary.com:
Regional Note: New Englanders sometimes express surprise by saying, “Well, I vum!” This odd-sounding word is in fact an alteration of the verb vow that goes back to the days of the American Revolution. It is also heard simply as “Vum!” or as a sort of past participle: “I’ll be vummed!” A Southern equivalent is swan or swanny, also meaning “swear”: “Now, I swanny!” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word swanny derives from the dialect of the north of England: I s’ wan ye, “I shall warrant ye.”
And I swan, I swan so far away …
Elmer Fudd sings Flock of Seagulls?
I saw this in a 1950s Walt Disney comic. Grandma Duck was using it, and it seemed like a euphemism for “I Swear”. Given that it was Grandma Duck, I think that indicates that it’s a “country” euphemism that sounds like the word it’s replacing , like the similarly euphemistic “Fudge!”. I’ve never heard anypone actually use it, though.
Who says comics ain’t educational?
That’s a good one. The author mentions the “Suwanee” river, which is how I thought it was pronounced. I think it’s an american indian name.
I love the american language. All these wonderful words, and we still lack a single word alternative for “he/she”. :smack:
A quick keyword list of swan meaning:
Love
Grace
Union
Purity
Beauty
Dreams
Balance
Elegance
Partnership
Transformation
The swan may also bear messages of love and relationships. They pair for years, sometimes male-female unions are sustained for a lifetime. When the swan glides upon the waters of our awareness, it might be a symbol of love, and a reminder of the blessings found in our relationships
I seem to recall seeing this usage in Stephen King’s short story Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut, which is set in rural Maine. Seeing as King is a native of the area, I assume he has heard the phrase used by the locals.
Singular ‘they’ is accepted by everyone except the most priggish of illiterate pedants.
This most priggish illiterate pedant has a small but important problem with using the plural to refer to a single. So, whenever I think of it, I’ll use "it’. Just as I do for a baby. Or a dog.
So, unless i learn (for sure) Derlith’s gender, I shall class it with babies and dogs.
Nyah!
The masculine includes the feminine, and the singular includes the plural.
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (radio) was sponsored by Swan Soap and at the end of every show, the announcer Bill Goodwin would close out the show by saying, “…Until next week I swan how about you?”
I never knew it was a phrase, I thought it had something to do with the soap
My dad and grandmother used “Well. I swan!”…used in the same way a Southerner would exclaim “I declare”. Sometimes used in place of swear in the sense of declare.
Somebody please explain that to me. Unless, of course, ol’ CA’s having me on. 
Exactly like that. It sounds kinda cute, actually.
Where were they raised?
Tell me you used to listen to this in the last 30 years, not on radio at the time. :eek:
We what?? Maybe a couple hundred years ago, but no one says that now.
Two of my grandmother’s most common expressions–“I swanny” and “dadgumit”. I miss hearing those.