Lyrics
VERSE 1
You molded dust to make a man
A head, a heart, a tongue
But he was not a living soul
Until You filled His lungs
Without Your power all we have is death
Remember we are dust and give us breath
VERSE 2
We till the sod and reap the thorns
They tear and scar our skin
Reminding us that blood must be
The sacrifice for sin
You sympathize with what we’re going through
Remember we are dust, for so were You
VERSE 3
The tree of life still grows today
Beyond the reach of man
We long to touch and taste its fruit
But no one living can
We’ll never reach forever on our own
Remember we are dust, and call us home
VERSE 4
We long to leave this earthly clay
When we are dust no more
We’ll walk with You at cool of day
Like Adam did before
But while You keep us here, Lord, keep us strong
Remember we are dust, but not for long
Authors & Composers
Written by Daniel J. Mount
Publishing Information
© 2015 Tomorrow’s Hymns/BMI
Song Story
(Written in 2024.) In the 25 years since I started writing songs, I’ve finished 767 songs. This one’s my favorite.
It comes from Psalm 103:13-14: “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
When I lived in North Carolina, I became friends with Jim Hendrix, an older Christian in my church. He was in his late 70s; though his health was declining, he still had the spirit and zeal of a young man.
His favorite Psalm was Psalm 103. I can’t count how many times he would quote to me his favorite verses, 13 and 14: “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
We talked about that passage so much that it started to seep into my soul. I tried to capture some of the heart of this passage in this song, “Remember We Are Dust.”
I wish I had the right words to capture what I learned from him as I watched him start to come to terms with the “to dust we shall return” part of the life of the believer. I don’t. But the lyrics to this song are the closest I’ve come.