‘Made From The Dirt’ by Kassi Ashton - Lyrics & Meaning

The title-track from Kassi Ashton's hotly anticipated debut album, ‘Made From The Dirt’, serves as a rallying, self-empowering anthem that unwaveringly lays out Ashton's mission statement.

Fans had to wait until the full album's arrival on Friday, September 20th before they could hear this rousing song, with ‘Made From The Dirt’ not selected as one of the lead singles. It was certainly worth the wait though, and acts as the perfect way to kick off the project on the front foot, with ‘Made From The Dirt’ opening the album.

Throughout ‘Made From The Dirt’, Kassi Ashton's commanding drawl combines with a serpentine electric guitar riff. The instrumental remains fairly laidback and understated for the first verse, with the composition then being built out with an array of powerhouse guitars and captivating layered vocals, giving the hook an extra boost.

“I was raised in Missouri where the hills shadow out the light

Between the broke and the fix it there was leaving written in my eyes

It wasn't hard, it wasn't easy

Spreading my wings like shotgun BBs”

‘Made From The Dirt’ is largely autobiographical, with Kassi Ashton proudly chronicling her rural upbringing in Missouri. She underlines that it was a modest childhood, flipping the classic phrase ‘If it ain't broke, don't fix it’ to explain that the fact that they were ‘broke‘ and various things needed someone to ‘fix it’ meant she was keen to leave. As a result, she decided to move town and follow her dreams.

“If you see me blazing trails 'stead of taking the highway

Leaning into love even when it hurts

I never fit the mold so I did it my way

I may be fighting but I didn't swing first

So if I'm pushing to make room, shooting for the moon, putting in the work

It's 'cause I was made from the dirt

Came up from the ground

Born to bloom when I get knocked down”

The hook revolves around Kassi Ashton's determination to cut her own path into the country music world, rather than following the beaten track. She touches on how she's faced setbacks, that have left her having to fight for her place in the industry, despite not making the first metaphorical punch. Then, we get the titular lyric, with Ashton likening herself to a flower that has to grow through the dirt, symbolising how she's thriving and ‘blooming’ in the face of numerous challenges.

It brings to mind the famous Buddhist phrase, “Though the lotus grows from out of mud, it blooms untouched and pure”, alluding to how beautiful things can emerge from difficult settings.

“So let the rounds keep coming like a summer thunder rolling in

I could turn the other cheek but I'd rather take it on the chin

So let it rain with the windows open

Spaces are wide and I keep on growing”

Here Kassi Ashton switches up another couple of well-known phrase by determining to take all the hits on the chin, instead of following the Biblical example of ‘turning the other cheek’. It accentuates the fierce, resilient mood of ‘Made From The Dirt’.

In a press released shared in tandem with the album's release, Kassi Ashton explained the inspiration behind the title-track, and the project as a whole, “I wrote ‘Made From The Dirt’ because we are made all the better every time we get back up. We are more beautiful because of the scars, stories, and bullshit. I hope after listening down, you feel seen, you feel validated, and you feel like the baddest to ever do it”.

“I was raised in Missouri where the hills shadow out the light

Between the broke and the fix it there was leaving written in my eyes

It wasn't hard, it wasn't easy

Spreading my wings like shotgun BBs

-

If you see me blazing trails 'stead of taking the highway

Leaning into love even when it hurts

I never fit the mold so I did it my way

I may be fighting but I didn't swing first

So if I'm pushing to make room, shooting for the moon, putting in the work

It's 'cause I was made from the dirt

Came up from the ground

Born to bloom when I get knocked down

-

So let the rounds keep coming like a summer thunder rolling in

I could turn the other cheek but I'd rather take it on the chin

So let it rain with the windows open

Spaces are wide and I keep on growing

-

If you see me blazing trails 'stead of taking the highway

Leaning into love even when it hurts

I never fit the mold so I did it my way

I may be fighting but I didn't swing first

So if I'm pushing to make room, shooting for the moon, putting in the work

It's 'cause I was made from the dirt

Came up from the ground

Born to bloom when I get knocked down

I get knocked down

-

If you see me blazing trails 'stead of taking the highway

Leaning into love even when it hurts

I never fit the mold so I did it my way

I may be fighting but I didn't swing first

So if I'm pushing to make room, shooting for the moon, putting in the work

It's 'cause I was made from the dirt

Came up from the ground

Born to bloom when I get knocked down

I get knocked down

It's 'cause I was made from the dirt

Came up from the ground

Born to bloom when I get knocked down”