Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if the women don’t get you then the whiskey must.”
― Carl Sandburg, The People, Yes

The line, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if the women don’t get you then the whiskey must,” is a humorous, cynical adaptation of the traditional funeral phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” and is a quote by poet Carl Sandburg. The original phrase, found in funeral rites, speaks to the mortality of humans, while Sandburg’s version substitutes the serious, spiritual context with a lighthearted, fatalistic view on life, suggesting that the inevitable struggles of existence will be one’s downfall. 

• Original phrase: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” is a traditional burial phrase from the Book of Common Prayer and is a nod to the biblical verses in Genesis 3:19, which states that God made humans from dust and that they will return to dust. It refers to the physical body returning to the earth. 
• Carl Sandburg’s version: The adapted quote replaces the serious biblical and religious message with a humorous and fatalistic one. It implies that life’s struggles, represented by women and whiskey, will inevitably lead to a person’s downfall, in a way that mirrors the finality of the original phrase. 
• Meaning: The contrast between the two versions highlights the original phrase’s emphasis on death and the cycle of life, while Sandburg’s version focuses on the more earthly, worldly, and often humorous struggles of life itself.