Bruce Springsteen slams ‘con man’ Donald Trump in newly released protest song

Titled ‘That’s What Makes Us Great’, the track was penned by Bruce’s frequent collaborator and friend, Houserockers frontman Joe Grushecky, and critiques various aspects of the Trump administration.  

At one point, Bruce takes aim at Trump’s ‘alternative facts’, singing: “Don’t tell me a lie / And sell it as a fact / I’ve been down that road before / And I ain’t going back,” and “Don’t you brag to me / That you never read a book / I never put my faith / In a con man and his crooks.”

“I had this song, and Bruce and I had been talking,” Grushecky told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I sent it to him and he liked it. I said, ‘What do you think about singing on it?’ He gave it the Bruce treatment.

"(Trump) lost me the moment he started making fun of special needs people. How could a person like that be president of the United States? Regardless of all the other (stuff), that to me is appalling.

"I have special needs people in my family and in my neighbourhood. I worked with special needs people my whole life and I was really offended by it.”

The song is available to download from Joe Grushecky’s official website now.

The 'That’s What Makes Us Great' lyrics are as follows:

Grushecky:
They come from everywhere
A longing to be free
They come to join us here
From sea to shining sea

Together:
And they all have a dream
As people always will
To be safe and warm
In that shining city on the hill

Grushecky:
Some wanna slam the door
Instead of opening the gate
Aw, let’s turn this thing around
Before it gets too late

Together:
It’s up to me and you
Love can conquer hate
I know this to be true
That’s what makes us great

Springsteen:
Don’t tell me a lie
And sell it as a fact
I’ve been down that road before
And I ain’t goin’ back

And don’t you brag to me
That you never read a book
I never put my faith
In a con man and his crooks

Together:
I won’t follow down that path
And tempt the hands of fate
Aw, let’s turn this thing around
Before it gets too late

It’s up to me and you
Love can conquer hate
I know this to be true
That’s what makes us great

Springsteen:
In the quiet of the night
I lie here wide awake
And I ask myself
Is there a difference I can make?

It’s up to me and you
Love can conquer hate
I know this to be true
That’s what makes us great