Meaning of "dying ain't much of a living"?

Question

This is one very catchy phrase from an old movie.

Dying ain't much of a living, son
-Clint Eastwood (The Outlaw Josey Wales)

I know what does it mean literally but when to use it generally in day to day life?
I mean you don't really want to be in such situation. But for fun if you want to use this line, mocking a tough guy from movie.

Hot Licks · Accepted Answer

It simply means that if your choice of occupation (such as being a highway robber) is going to kill you then maybe you should change occupations.

But understand that it's difficult to envision this line being used in a "fun", mocking way (unlike, say, "Make my day"). It apparently has become the title of a Bon Jovi song, but that song is kind of a "downer", based my reading of the lyrics.

Elliott Silverman · Answer

To the person who posed the question: There are almost no situations where you would use this quote 'in real life', unless you are a professional assassin whose life has been threatened...? (It's funny to English speakers because it juxtaposes the opposites 'dying' and 'living' in a double-entendre: dying is literally 'not living' but 'a living' is also shorthand for 'earning a living", the implication being that you can't make a living from an activity that results in your death. You need to consider the previous line also, to which this line was a response - I think it was: "A man's gotta do somethin' for a livin' ..." spoken by the bounty hunter who confronted Josey Wales. The answer referred to above is probably among the best retorts in film history.

Answered by Elliott Silverman on June 5, 2021

Meaning of "dying ain't much of a living"?

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