Robin Kester is a Dutch musician, singer and songwriter born in Utrecht, Th… Read Full Bio ↴Robin Kester is a Dutch musician, singer and songwriter born in Utrecht, The Netherlands, currently based in Rotterdam. She makes a breezy, folky kind of dream pop. Her début single, 'Lost For A Day', was released in June 2018.

Kester also released two EPs thus far: 2018's Peel the Skin and 2020's This Is Not a Democracy, with her full-length début album, Honeycomb Shades, following in February 2023.

"Drifting between chamber pop, electronic music and psychedelic rock, Robin Kester’s experimental pop exudes a hazy euphoria and dark tension."

The Dirt
Robin Kester Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I let my guard down
Bones will rise from the ground
Swallow the dirt
Dust the skin
Shall we begin

Don't want to show
Parts I do not know

Bury the truth
Still afraid
I can't escape
From you

Out in the sun
I hide
Blinded by light
I find
Swallow the dirt

Dust the skin
Shall we begin

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Robin Kester's song The Dirt speak to vulnerability- the fear of exposing oneself and being consumed in the process. The opening line sets the tone as the singer expresses hesitation about letting her guard down. The line "bones will rise from the ground" signifies that something unsettling is lurking beneath the surface. The song's central theme is then revealed as the singer asks if she should "swallow the dirt" and "dust the skin" to begin confronting the uncomfortable truth that is threatening to consume her.

The next verse continues with the idea of hiding and burying truths, suggesting that the singer is both afraid to confront the past and unable to escape the present. The final lines repeat the idea of "swallowing the dirt" and "dusting the skin" and ask "shall we begin." The repeated refrain suggests that the singer is stuck in a cycle of self-protection and avoidance, unable to move forward until she decides to face what is buried within.

Line by Line Meaning

If I let my guard down
If I allow myself to be vulnerable

Bones will rise from the ground
The truth and past experiences will resurface and haunt me

Swallow the dirt
Accept the unpleasant truths about myself

Dust the skin
Cleanse myself of negativity and start anew

Shall we begin
Let's start this cleansing process

Don't want to show
I am hesitant to reveal

Parts I do not know
Undiscovered aspects of myself

Bury the truth
Hide the facts that reveal my vulnerabilities

Still afraid
I am scared of being seen for who I truly am

I can't escape
I cannot run away from these inner struggles

From you
From the judgment of others