Bruce Springsteen has released a new protest song condemning “King Trump” and the actions of immigration officers in Minnesota.
The song, titled “Streets of Minneapolis,” was written on Saturday, recorded on Tuesday, and released on Wednesday. Springsteen said it was a 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,” he wrote on Instagram.
Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was killed by an ICE officer during a raid on January 7. Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot on January 24 after protesting the raids and Good’s death. Springsteen’s lyrics directly name both victims and call out Trump’s immigration advisors. He also criticizes Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for statements made after the killings, which were contradicted by eyewitnesses and video.
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The song starts quietly with just Springsteen and minimal instruments. He sings:
“Through the winter’s ice and cold/ Down Nicollet Avenue/ A city aflame fought fire and ice/ ‘Neath an occupier’s boots/ King Trump’s private army from the DHS/ Guns belted to their coats/ Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law/ Or so their story goes.”
By the second verse, the full band kicks in. Springsteen praises residents who stood up to federal agents, singing:
“Against smoke and rubber bullets/ By the dawn’s early light/ Citizens stood for justice/ Their voices ringing through the night.”
He memorializes Pretti and Good:
“And there were bloody footprints/ Where mercy should have stood/ And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets/ Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
The song joins other artists and citizens speaking out against Trump’s immigration policies, including Billie Eilish and Finneas, Dave Matthews, Moby, Olivia Rodrigo, and the Chicks.
After Good’s killing, the administration claimed she “weaponized” her car against ICE, though video shows her attempting to leave. Pretti was called a “domestic terrorist” and “assassin,” but footage shows him trying to help a woman during a protest. He was shot 10 times while pinned to the ground.
Springsteen’s song follows the tradition of protest anthems like “American Skin (41 Shots)” and “Streets of Philadelphia.” He has long used music to respond to social issues, including his 2020 track “That’s What Makes Us Great” defending immigrants against Trump’s rhetoric.
The final verse of “Streets of Minneapolis” condemns federal officers for targeting people of color while amplifying protest chants:
“Here in our home they killed and roamed/ In the winter of ’26/ We’ll take our stand for this land/ And the stranger in our midst/ We’ll remember the names of those who died/ On the streets of Minneapolis.”
Featured image via YouTube screengrab
