Bruce Springsteen Drops New Track “Streets of Minneapolis” Addressing “State Terror” in the City
By Website Content Manager
The song alludes to the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, both of whom were shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement agents in separate incidents.
Bruce Springsteen is using his music to respond to the political unrest in Minneapolis.
The 76-year-old musician released “Streets of Minneapolis” on Wednesday, Jan. 28, drawing attention to ongoing protests against ICE and celebrating the city’s resilience. The song arrives against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation operations in Minneapolis, which have sparked weeks of protests and led to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Springsteen shared the track via an Instagram reel, featuring the single’s cover—a black-and-white image of protest signs reading “ICE OUT.”
In his caption, he wrote: “I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday, and released it to you today in response to the state terror being inflicted on Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors, and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free.”
The lyrics depict a city engulfed in conflict, describing streets filled with smoke, rubber bullets, and gunfire. Springsteen criticizes ICE, referring to the agency as “King Trump’s private army from the DHS” and questioning its stated role in law enforcement.
In the chorus, he sings:
“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. 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 directly references Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse killed by ICE on Saturday, Jan. 24, whose death has fueled public outrage. The song also alludes to the national anthem, with lines like: “Against smoke and rubber bullets / By the dawn’s early light / Citizens stood for justice / Their voices ringing through the night.”
Musically, the song echoes Springsteen’s 1993 track “Streets of Philadelphia,” a melancholic story of an individual on society’s margins seeking compassion, written for the film Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks, which tackled the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Springsteen’s work frequently engages with American cities and political struggles. His 2001 song “American Skin (41 Shots)” addressed racially motivated police violence in the killing of Amadou Diallo, while his 1984 hit “Born in the U.S.A.”—often misinterpreted as purely patriotic—explores themes of national disillusionment.