Bruce Springsteen releases new Donald Trump protest song calling US President a 'con man'

Springsteen was one of the most prolific artists to speak out against Trump during the 2016 presidential election

Bruce Springsteen has released a new protest song where he brands US President Donald Trump a "con man", called 'That's What Makes Us Great'.

The track was written by Springsteen's longtime collaborator Joe Grushecky, and premiered this week on SiriusXM and Grushecky's website.

This is the first track Springsteen and Grushecky have worked on since Grushecky's 2009 record East Carson Street.

The pair have been friends since the 1980s and first collaborated in the studio in '95 when The Boss produced Grushecky's album American Babylon.

Their latest work tackles the Trump administration over "alternative facts" and its stance on immigration.

At one point Springsteen sings: "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."

The track is available to purchase on Grushecky's website.

Speaking to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Grushecky said that he had already written the song before asking Springsteen if he wanted to team up.

"I sent it to him [Springsteen] and he liked it," he said. "I said, 'What do you think about singing it?' He gave it the Bruce treatment."

The Post-Gazette reports that these are the lyrics in full:

That’s What Makes Us Great

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

Springsteen was one of the most prolific artists to speak out against Trump during the 2016 presidential election, famously calling him a "moron" in an interview with Rolling Stone.

"The whole thing is tragic," he said in September. "Without overstating it, it's a tragedy for our democracy. When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do. Once you let those genies out of the bottle, they don't go back in so easy, if they go back in at all.

"The ideas he [Trump]'s moving to the mainstream are all very dangerous ideas - white nationalism and the alt-right movement. The outrageous things that he's done - not immediately disavowing David Duke? These are things that are obviously beyond the pale for any previous political candidate. It would sink your candidacy immediately."