Listen to this article
Estimated 2 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations may occur. We work with our partners to continually review and improve results.
Bruce Springsteen dedicates his new song to the people of Minneapolis and criticizes US President Donald Trump’s ongoing immigration controls in the city.
The text of Streets of Minneapolisreleased on Wednesday, describes how “a burning city battled fire and ice under the boots of an occupier,” what Springsteen calls “King Trump’s private army.”
In a statement, Springsteen said he wrote and recorded the song over the weekend and released it in response to a second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
“It is 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.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, responded: “The Trump administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officials to remove dangerous criminal illegal immigrants from their communities – not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information.”
The slow-burning song builds from just acoustic guitar and vocals to a fuller band melody, including a harmonica solo, and ends with chants of “ICE Out!”
“Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice,” Springsteen sings. “Singing through the bloody fog/We will take a stand for this land/And the stranger in our midst.”
The title is reminiscent of Springsteen Streets of Philadelphiawhich served as the theme song for the 1993 film directed by Tom Hanks Philadelphia.
Springsteen has long been critical of the president, who in turn described the rock icon as “overrated.”
The most recent public clash was last year when Springsteen toured England and told his audience that America was “currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous government.”
Trump responded by calling Springsteen a “dried-up rocker.”
