Bruce Springsteen is dedicating his new song to the people of Minneapolis, criticizing President Donald Trump’s ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the city.
The lyrics of “Streets of Minneapolis,” released Wednesday, describe how “a city aflame fought fire and ice ’neath an occupier’s boots,” which Springsteen calls “King Trump’s private army.”
Springsteen stated that he wrote and recorded the song over the weekend and released it in response to a second deadly shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
“It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors, and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” he wrote, naming the two victims.
The slow-burning song transitions from just acoustic guitar and voice to a fuller band arrangement, including a harmonica solo, and ends with chants of “ICE Out!”
“Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice,” The Boss sings. “Singing through the bloody mist/We’ll take our stand for this land/And the stranger in our midst.”
The title draws from Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia,” which served as the title song for the Tom Hanks-led 1993 film “Philadelphia.”
Springsteen's political stance is well-known; he has been openly critical of Trump, who has labeled the rock icon as “overrated.” Their tensions were highlighted in a past incident when Springsteen, speaking during a tour in England, remarked on the corrupt nature of the current administration, prompting Trump to respond by calling Springsteen a “dried out prune of a rocker.”
