What is the origin of the phrase, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die"?

BRY2K

"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die" is a conflation of two biblical sayings, Ecclesiastes 8:15, ‘Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry’, and Isaiah 22:13, ‘Let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.’ There are a number of humorous variants. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-eat.html http://net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Ecc&chapter=8&verse=15 Oct 22 09, 8:53 AM

Arpeggionist

I don't know who the first poet was to use those words in that order, but he was probably paraphrasing several spots in the book of Ecclesiastes, specifically chapter 9 verse 7: "Go eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already judged your actions." (translation my own) Oct 22 09, 8:53 AM

JDecker

I thought it had to do with the gladiators. It's similar to the gladiator salute "Those about to die, we salute you." There was typically a feast on the night before gladitorial bouts where the gladiators and rich Roman citizens mingled, and this would be a fitting phrase for such an occasion. (If historical fiction is to be believed) Oct 22 09, 8:58 AM