Brilliant New Aimee Mann Song on the Surprising Reason Trump May Have Started His Campaign

Singer-songwriter Aimee Mann debuted a new song called "Can't You Tell?" to protest Donald Trump on the second day of the "30 Days, 30 Songs" campaign last Tuesday. The song is a first-person reflection on what Mann suspects Trump may be thinking during his campaign, and it's both scathing and empathetic.

There is an understanding that, if Trump's campaign began as a farce, he didn't expect to be so successful, and he's sure in a bind this far down the line. Lyrics point to this: "Isn't anybody going to stop me?/I don't want this job.../Can't you tell/I'm unwell."

The song's motivation, according to Mann's statement of intent, stems from an interesting theory as to why Trump began his campaign:

"I had heard a theory that Trump’s interest in running for president was really kicked off at the 2011 White House Correspondent’s dinner when President Obama basically roasted him, so that’s where I started. And my own feeling was that it wasn’t really the job itself he wanted, but the thrill of running and winning, and that maybe it had all gotten out of hand and was a runaway train that he couldn’t stop."

The lyrics also coyly place blame on the enablers of Trump's racist, xenophobic, sexist campaign—but vaguely enough that we can fill in the blanks with media or the Republican establishment and beyond: "You ask about my plan but baby my plan is to win/I wind up all the tops and watch the others keep the spin/You handing me grenades is just compelling me/To pull the pin."

And, of course, there is some fair ball-busting of Trump himself with that line, "I'm unwell."

Listen: