My auntie sent me a text this morning, and I thought it was a normal “love tap” to check in on her family in Minneapolis.

Nope.

It was a video that sent me sobbing.

Living in Minneapolis over the last several weeks has brought up every emotion. The highs have been high and the lows have been l-o-w. I’ve danced with joy at the Minnesotans showing up in negative temperatures to protest against ICE in our state. I’ve felt my anxiety swirl as I could hear flash bangs from my apartment. I’ve felt moved to tears over and over again as I see people in other cities around the freakin’ world standing up in solidarity with Minnesota. And I’ve felt absolute agony over knowing there are people in my life who support the inhuman actions of the ICE agents.

I cry. I smile. I breathe. And I repeat.

Over and over again.

But this video from the great Bruce Springsteen has me sobbing in the best way.

I broke down at the line, “Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice…” and I’m still wiping tears now, as I’m writing this.

Thank you, everyone, who has heard our voice and is not only telling us so, but is using their own.

It bolsters us. It strengthens us. It helps us fight another day, together.

Give “Streets Of Minneapolis” from Bruce Springsteen a listen and share it far and wide.

~

Lyrics are as follows:

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
Against smoke and rubber bullets
By the dawn’s early light
Citizens stood for justice
Their voices ringing 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 Renee Good

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

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

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

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 chants of ICE out now
Our city’s heart and soul persists
Through broken glass and bloody tears
On the streets of Minneapolis

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

~

For more and a reality check about how 2026 might bring a resurgence of protest music, take a peek at Molly’s previous article: The Protest Song that Meets the Moment.