APAD:Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

‘Ashes to ashes’ derives from the English Burial Service. The text of that service is adapted from the Biblical text, Genesis 3:19 (King James Version):

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

 

The term has been used frequently in literature and song lyrics. Ashes to Ashes is the title of a 2009 BBC television series. It was also used as a song title by David Bowie in 1980, which included one of his best-known lyrics:

Ashes to ashes, funk to funky We know Major Tom’s a junkie