ST. PAUL, Minn. — Long before it was recorded, folk music served as a way to keep stories and ideas alive. As such, music has always played an important part in protests, from Woody Guthrie to Bad Bunny.

So it’s not a surprise that during these politically turbulent times and the ongoing ICE presence in Minnesota, musicians have used the craft to speak up. Here are five songs written in response to what’s happening in Minneapolis and beyond.

Bruce Springsteen, ‘Streets of Minneapolis’

The Boss surprised local fans not once, but twice. Late last month, he released this stripped-down protest song and followed it up with an unannounced appearance at First Avenue.

“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,” Springsteen wrote in social media posts announcing the song. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”

Billy Bragg, ‘City of Heroes’

British singer/songwriter Billy Bragg has long since brought a punk energy to folk music. He’s also been a frequent visitor to the Twin Cities over the past 40 years.

“Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, have always been a very special place for me,” Bragg said in a recent interview with 89.3 The Current. “You know, there’s a certain sensibility there that aligns with mine, my kind of progressive views.

“All we have as humanity is we have hope, hope in the future. And I see that on the streets of Minneapolis with the whistles and the phones and the donuts and the coffee. That’s the front line at the moment. And I think the tide is flowing your way. And I’m really proud of that, I’m proud to be a friend of the city of Minneapolis, St. Paul.”

Paul Metsa and Alan Sparhawk, ‘No Kings (No Crown)’

These two northern Minnesota musical icons found inspiration in the No Kings demonstrations for this track, which also appears on Metsa’s recent album “Songs of Resistance & Resolve 1984-2025.”

Sample lyric: “They got alligator prisons, jack boot police / They”ll grab grandpa or grandma, a nephew or niece / That man selling ice cream, they’ll take him too / They’re just fool after fool after fool.”

NOFX, ‘Minnesota Nazis’

Fat Mike, bassist and lead singer of the Los Angeles punk band NOFX, has struggled with addiction for years. He wrote the song “Huntington Beach Nazis” while spending six sober weeks in Minneapolis in 2022. He recently gave it an update.

“After all the recent heartbreaks in Minnesota, I decided to change some lyrics in the song,” he wrote on Instagram. “This song isn’t gonna stop the absolute madness, but you do what you can to make this world a better place. Let’s look out for each other the best we can. Love (beats) hate, even though it doesn’t seem like it right now.”

Jeremy Messersmith, ‘F— This’

A South Carolina native who grew up in Washington state, Jeremy Messersmith has called Minneapolis home since 1999. He’s known for his catchy brand of indie pop and has become more political in the past decade, including on his most recent studio album, “Late Stage Capitalism.”

The death of Renee Good inspired him to write this rather direct track, which sounds like it was plucked out of a Disney musical — if you ignore the lyrics, that is.

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