Bruce Springsteen has never been subtle about where he stands. But this week, The Boss did something rare even by his standards.
On Wednesday, Springsteen released a brand-new protest song, written, recorded, and released in just days, condemning the deadly violence carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis. The song memorializes Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were fatally shot by federal agents earlier this month.
“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,” Springsteen wrote. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors, and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free.”
The song is titled “Streets of Minneapolis.”
And it pulls absolutely no punches.
We’ll break it down below.
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A protest song for right now
“Streets of Minneapolis” is a full-band, old-school rock song, complete with an E Street Choir singalong. Springsteen’s voice is raw and raspy, filled with anger and grief as he calls out what he sees unfolding in real time.
He directly names “King Trump” and condemns his “federal thugs,” promising that the violence carried out in Minneapolis will not be forgotten.
The verses tell the stories of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti one by one. They are not abstract symbols. They are named. They are humanized. And Springsteen makes clear that what happened to them contradicts what government officials immediately claimed.
“Their claim was self defense, sir / Just don’t believe your eyes,” Springsteen sings.
“It’s our blood and bones / And these whistles and phones / Against Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem’s dirty lies.”
It’s a blunt indictment of how power operates now: official statements on one side, eyewitness video evidence on the other.
The official story keeps changing
After the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rushed to label his actions “domestic terrorism,” claiming he brandished a weapon and attacked officers. She used nearly identical language to describe Renee Macklin Good before her death.
But a preliminary government review of Pretti’s case has already diverged from those claims. It now says Pretti resisted arrest before being shot by two Customs and Border Protection officers — a far cry from the initial rhetoric used to justify lethal force.
Springsteen’s song zeroes in on that gap. The distance between what people saw with their own eyes and what those in power wanted the public to believe.
Springsteen isn’t backing down
The release of “Streets of Minneapolis” follows Springsteen’s recent public comments on the protests. Earlier this month, during an appearance at the Light of Day festival in New Jersey, he dedicated “The Promised Land” to Renee Macklin Good and echoed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s blunt message that ICE should “get the f*** out of Minneapolis.”
This isn’t new territory for Springsteen. He has spent decades using his music to confront injustice. Since Trump’s election in 2016, he has been one of the president’s most consistent and outspoken critics. Last spring, he released Land of Hope & Dreams, a live EP that included on-stage remarks calling out what he described as a “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.”
In an era when too many powerful voices are staying silent, Bruce Springsteen just made it very clear whose side he’s on.
Stay free.
