Digging up bones
Meaning: Bringing up old, unpleasant memories
Originated in: 🇺🇸 United States of America
Earliest attestation:
To dig up bones is to uncover or bring to mind things from the past which you have moved on from. Typically these things are painful memories people would usually rather forget. Sometimes they are dredged up to intentionally hurt another, but often they are just brought to mind in painful reminiscence.
It is primarily, if not exclusively, used by Randy Travis in his hit country song “Diggin’ Up Bones”. There, the singer is rummaging through the belongings of his ex-wife, finding things that remind him of her and the life they had together. He calls this “digging up bones” as a metaphor. Like a body buried in the ground is meant to be undisturbed, the remains of his broken relationship are meant to be left in the past. Yet even though he knows it’s not healthy, he can’t help but dig up the bones of his past love.