Read about the lyrics to Bruce Springsteen’s new song ‘Streets of Minneapolis’. Learn the words and context for this narrative protest track.
The lyrics for Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis” form a detailed narrative protest song. The words paint a specific, winter-bound scene of civil unrest and state conflict on Nicollet Avenue. The story introduces characters, both collective and named, including “Alex Pretti and Renée Good,” who are presented as casualties of the event. The verses describe armed federal agents, confrontations with citizens, and a lyrical account of violence. A recurring chorus acts as a communal pledge to remember the city and the fallen.
bruce springsteen streets of minneapolis
The language directly references political figures and agencies, framing the incident within a sharp, contemporary critique. A harmonica solo breaks the narrative, a hallmark of Springsteen’s musical style. Later verses expand the scope to address issues of racial profiling and immigration enforcement, culminating in a chanted outro. The lyrics function as a chronicle set to music, designed to tell a story with clear stakes and a memorializing purpose. MPmania shares this lyric context for fans who wish to understand the song’s storytelling for meaningful listening and singalongs.
Produced by Ron Aniello, Bruce Springsteen
January 28, 2026
1 song, 4 minutes
℗ 2026 Columbia Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
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
[Verse 2]
Against smoke and rubber bullets
In the dawn’s early light
Citizens stood for justice
Their voices ringin’ through the night
And there were bloody footprints
Where mercy should have stood
And two dead, left to die on snow-filled streets
Alex Pretti and Renée Good
[Chorus]
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
[Verse 3]
Trump’s federal thugs beat up on
His face and his chest
Then we heard the gunshots
And Alex Pretti lay in the snow dead
Their claim was self-defense, sir
Just don’t believe your eyes
It’s our blood and bones
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies
[Chorus]
Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Crying through the bloody mist
We’ll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis
[Harmonica Solo]
[Verse 4]
Now they say they’re here to uphold the law
But they trample on our rights
If your skin is black or brown, my friend
You can be questioned or deported on sight
In our chants of “ICE out now”
Our city’s heart and soul persists
Through broken glass and bloody tears
On the streets of Minneapolis
[Chorus]
Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
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
We’ll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis
[Outro]
ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out