knocking on heaven's door
At death's edge
Knocking on heaven's door describes someone who is near death or in a dangerous situation that could prove fatal.
The phrase suggests being at the threshold between life and the afterlife, about to cross over.
It gained wide currency from Bob Dylan's 1973 song of the same name, which portrayed a dying man's final moments.
After the heart attack, he was knocking on heaven's door for a few days before pulling through.
- passingMoving by or temporary
- pearly gatesOrnate doors with opalescent decoration
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- soulInnermost animating essence
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
afterlife · crossing over · near death experience · mortality · finality · last breath · yearning · Bob Dylan · Eric Clapton · Guns N' Roses · prayer · divine · demise · grave · transition · acceptance · letting go · final farewell
knocking on heaven's doorin the pink
Excellent health state
alive and kicking · fit as a fiddle · hale and hearty · thriving · full of life
knocking on heaven's doorwet behind the ears
Naive and inexperienced
spring chicken · fresh-faced · green · at the beginning · bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
knocks, knocked, knocker, knockers, heaven, heavens, heavenly, heavenliness