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
