Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, and the Marsh Family sing about Minneapolis, Minnesota

My planned "brief entry worth sharing next month" grew yesterday with two major artists releasing protest songs along with my original choice, the Marsh Family. The biggest artist and most popular song is Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio).

Lyrics:
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

"Who you gonna believe? Me, or your own eyes?" was indeed funnier when Chico Marx said it.

Next, Billy Bragg released City Of Heroes.



City Of Heroes · Billy Bragg
Finally, the Marsh Family has been prolific this month, uploading Marsh Family sings 'Battle Hymn of the Empire' and other parodies and The Marsh Family sings 'Piece of Denmark' about Trump and Greenland, and The Marsh Family sings 'Donald's Sewage Stream', plus another about Tories jumping ship to Reform UK that I'm saving for a rainy day. They just uploaded "Minnesota" - Marsh Family adaptation of "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)".

We hope the good people of San Francisco won’t mind us adapting this iconic track (about their city in the sixties, in the midst of protests and the counterculture movement) to treat the tragedies in recent days and weeks in Minneapolis. The original song was written by John Phillips (of "The Mamas & the Papas") and first released (sung by Scott McKenzie) in 1967, reaching number one in the UK, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand charts, though only fourth in the US. We chose it because of its link to protest, its soaring refrains, its simplicity, its earnestness, and its celebration of love and solidarity. In our arrangement we haven’t double tracked the vocals but have added harmonies and mandolin/violin lines.

We hope it serves its aim, which is to express solidarity with the courageous and valiant protesters in Minnesota (and beyond), and to memorialise Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and sing their names across the ocean: two innocent American citizens executed on the streets in appalling scenes that so obviously echo waypoints in the historical march of fascism. Taking on the guns, masks, fear, and falsehoods requires more than flowers and songs. But they are powerful nonetheless, especially if they remind folk of previous generations that navigated trauma, and that you are not alone, and others are being inspired your courage and actions in the face of the winter of our times.

Tragedy and outrage are inspiring great music, which I'll let speak for itself.

That's a wrap for today. I plan on sharing the monologues of Colbert, Meyers, Kimmel, and The Daily Show, likely Desi Lydic, tomorrow. Stay tuned.