Young Returns with Protest Song Against Trump
Canadian rock icon Neil Young has revived his long-standing tradition of using music as a political weapon with a new song titled “Big Crime.” It has been described as one of his clearest messages against former U.S. President Donald Trump, although Trump’s name is not explicitly mentioned in the lyrics.
The song premiered live during a concert in Chicago as part of Young’s current tour with his new band, Crazy Horse. The following day, the full lyrics were published on the artist’s official website, “Neil Young Archives,” which Young also uses to share his sharp commentary on American politics, environmental issues, and the music industry.
The song opens with the phrase “No more great again,” a sarcastic nod to Trump’s famous slogan “Make America Great Again.” It then moves to direct statements such as “We don’t want soldiers in our streets” and “No more money for fascists… billionaires’ fascists,” before settling on a recurring refrain: “There is a big crime in Washington… in the White House.”
While the lyrics do not mention Trump by name, the political background and overall context make it clear that the former president is the target, especially considering the tense relationship between Young and Trump over the past years.
In recent posts on his website, Young criticized Trump’s statements, saying, “Today Trump said his name deserves to be included in the Declaration of Independence… independence from the truth, apparently.” Earlier this year, he added, “If I talk about Donald Trump, I could be banned from entering the United States or imprisoned on a concrete floor with an aluminum blanket.”
Young, born in Canada, has often expressed his concerns about the repercussions of his political statements, yet this has not deterred him from continuing to voice his opinions publicly, especially towards the Trump administration.
This new work is an extension of Young’s long history of political songs over the decades, including his famous track “Ohio,” which criticized the Kent State University shootings in 1970, and “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which has become one of the most iconic protest songs in modern rock history.
Interestingly, Trump himself has used “Rockin’ in the Free World” at multiple political events, including his 2015 campaign, the midterm elections in 2018, and again in 2020. Despite Young’s public objections, he acknowledged that he has no legal right to stop it. He wrote at the time, “Legally, he is entitled to do so, but it completely contradicts my wishes.”
Later, Young filed a lawsuit against Trump’s campaign for using two of his songs (“Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Devil’s Sidewalk”) without permission, accusing them of copyright infringement and using his music in a “campaign of division and hatred that does not represent American values.” However, he withdrew the lawsuit after the presidential election and Trump’s defeat.
The new song “Big Crime” comes at a tense political moment in the United States, as Trump prepares for the upcoming presidential election amid ongoing legal challenges and criminal investigations. In this context, the song carries a protest dimension that reflects widespread frustration among artists and intellectuals over the resurgence of populist rhetoric in American politics.
Conversely, the song reaffirms Neil Young’s status as one of the last great voices in rock music still using art as a platform for direct political expression, defying the constraints of age, censorship, and commercial pressures.
