How to Play Harmonica - Streets of Minneapolis by Bruce Springsteen

As I write this, Bruce Springsteen has today released a protest song called ‘Streets of Minneapolis’. Amazingly, he wrote the song on Saturday, recorded it a few days later on Wednesday and released it today on Thursday. I’ve already been contacted by lots of students asking for the harmonica tabs.

The song contains a short, simple solo which, as with a lot of Springsteen’s solos, is a loose variation on the main melody.

Below is the video lesson looking at how to play the harmonica solo of Streets of Minneapolis by Bruce Springsteen.

You’ll need a diatonic harmonica in the key of D to play along. You can find the printable tabs here and the lyrics below.

►If you don’t already have one, you can purchase a D harmonica using this link: (Hohner Special 20): https://amzn.to/3YIuvxX (you don't have to use this link; if you do I get a small commission).

Harmonica Streets of Minneapolis by Bruce Springsteen (How To Play)

Click here for the printable tabs for Streets of Minneapolis.

Here is the official Bruce Springsteen video for Streets of Minneapolis:

Official Video: Streets of Minneapolis by Bruce Springsteen

It's a hard hitting protest song about the US government's recent crackdown on protests.

Here are the lyrics (for the printable harmonica tabs click here):

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

I hope you enjoyed this harmonica lesson on Streets of Minneapolis by Bruce Springsteen.

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