Bruce Springsteen is speaking out against the political violence in Minneapolis through song.
The musician, 76, released “Streets of Minneapolis,” a reference to the ongoing protests against ICE and a testament to the city’s resilience, on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Springsteen’s new song comes amid President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation campaign in Minneapolis, which has resulted in weeks of civil unrest and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Springsteen announced the song in a reel on Instagram, including the song’s cover: a black and white photo of a sea of protest signs, all reading “ICE OUT.”
“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” the rocker wrote in the caption, adding, “Stay free.”
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Throughout the single, the Boss sings of “a city aflame [that] fought fire and ice” and references the smoke, rubber bullets and guns that have since overtaken the city’s streets. Springsteen calls ICE “King Trump’s private army from the DHS” and calls into question the organization’s expressed mission to “enforce the law.”
“Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice / Singing through the bloody mist / We’ll take our stand for this land / And the stranger in our midst,” Springsteen sings in the chorus. “Here in our home they killed and roamed / In the winter of ’26 / We’ll remember the names of those who died / On the streets of Minneapolis.”
Springsteen also makes reference to Pretti, the ICU nurse who was fatally shot by ICE on Saturday, Jan. 24 and whose killing has become a flashpoint of anger and protest since.
The song’s lyrics also call back to the national anthem, with Springsteen singing: “Against smoke and rubber bullets / By the dawn’s early light / Citizens stood for justice / Their voices ringing through the night.”
The song also bears similarities to Springsteen’s 1993 hit “Streets of Philadelphia,” a somber tune about one man on the outskirts of society, seeking some act of kindness but refusing to ask for it. The song was created for the film Philadelphia, released the same year, that starred Tom Hanks and addressed the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
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Springsteen’s songs have long made references to the United States and its cities, as well as the political issues that have gripped their communities. His 2001 song “American Skin (41 Shots)” addressed race-based police brutality and the shooting of Amadou Diallo, while his famed 1984 hit “Born in the U.S.A” — though often sung as a patriotic tune — unpacks the feeling of disillusionment with the country.
