Sakes alive!
Land sakes alive!

It means something like, I suppose, "For goodness' sake!" But how odd, really: Sakes alive!
Is that just an intensive form of "For goodness' sake!"--you know, this goodness thing that is begging saking is so vibrant that the required sakes are alive? And how did that "land" come onto the scene? - ww

Well Wordwind, speaking for a five mile radius of
Lower Peachtree, Alabama...

The phases began as straightforward religious comments,

ex: If Saint Peter were alive today, he wouldn't...
ex: For the sake of the Lord, Maggie, don't...

then became religious exclamations,

ex: Saints Alive!, Ethel, why did you...
ex: Lord Sakes!, Mattie, why did you...

Then the new Baptist preacher in town explained to them that they were swearing...

ex: Land Sakes!
ex: Snakes alive!

Then, just to be safe, the good snake*-handling, foot-washing, Baptist folk excluded all references to God, man, or beasts, or nouns...

ex: " SAKES ALIVE! " They exclaimed.


* Note: "Snakes alive" is concurrent with "Sakes alive" in Lower Peachtree today.