Man Without A Soul

Album: Good Souls Better Angels (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lucinda Williams' husband/manager, Tom Overby, came up with the idea for this crushing swipe at Donald Trump. Though Williams doesn't specifically name the sandy-haired US president, she worries that the song's subject is too easily identifiable. "I don't want to say that it's exactly about that person because I like to leave it open to interpretation," she told UK's The Sun newspaper.

    "The other day Tom said, 'Don't tell people that song is about Trump' and I said, 'I'm not telling them, they're telling me.' It's pretty obvious. We're all feeling angry and frustrated, so it had to come out somewhere."
  • This was the song on Good Souls Better Angels that Williams and Overby spent the most time fine tuning. "I actually said to Tom, 'Honey, everybody has a soul. Even though it's Donald Trump, I don't want to say he doesn't have a soul,'" Williams told American Songwriter. "To me that was the worst thing you could say about someone. Remember Neil Young sang, 'Even Richard Nixon has got soul.'"
  • Lucinda Williams married Tom Overby, an executive from Best Buy's music department, in September 2009. Good Souls Better Angels finds Overby contributing lyrics for the first time on one of his wife's records. "This is a new thing we've been doing," Williams told Uncut magazine. "It's giving me some new impetus. We've been working on a few things together, kind of like what Tom Waits is doing with his wife, Kathleen Brennan."

Comments: 1

  • Loren from Florence, AzJust listened to this song and thought it exclusively described Joe Biden.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.