# David Bowie's 'Ashes to

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to/666550>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 18, 2013, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to/666550 "2013-08-18T11:34:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to/666550/1 "2013-08-18T11:34:29Z")

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What is David Bowie saying in the background at 0:44 - 1:04? At 1:59 - 2:20, he’s simply repeating the lyrics, but the earlier backgroud vocals don’t seem–to my ears, anyway–to match up nicely with the lyrics.  
[Ashes to Ashes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8URCgpGo3Y)

I asked this same question [a long time ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=15242), but I didn’t have youtube back then.

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**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to/666550/2 "2013-08-18T11:55:36Z")

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[Go here](http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=684)

Use Edit/Find to locate the 2nd post by “Schmeng, Manchester”

Scroll up a little.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to/666550/3 "2013-08-18T13:23:14Z")

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Well, golly, thanks a lot!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to/666550/4 "2013-08-26T19:56:38Z")

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And just in case that website disappears, and someone else is wondering. . . Foreground lyrics in all caps. Background lyrics in lower case.

THE SHRIEKING OF NOTHING IS KILLING  
you shrieking nothing killing

JUST PICTURES OF JAP GIRLS IN ‘SYNTHESIS’  
just pictures of jap girls in synthesis

AND I AINT GOT NO MONEY AND I AINT GOT NO HAIR  
and i aint got no money and i aint got no hair

(no foreground vocals in this bit)  
no everlasting aesthetic…  
songs that please the ear and leave the mind alone

BUT I’M HOPING TO KICK BUT THE PLANET IS GLO-(echo)  
but i’m hoping to kick but the planet is glowing  
an outdated concept of falling…