Bruce Springsteen is not backing away from his bold political statements about Donald Trump and the current state of America. On Wednesday, May 21, he released the speech that drew the president’s ire on a new EP titled Land of Hope & Dreams.
The six-track EP released to all streaming services opens with the “Land of Hope and Dreams (Introduction),” a one-minute and 40-second spoken-word prelude to the song of the same name that includes Springsteen’s now famous rap about the current state of America.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
“Good evening. It’s great to be in Manchester and back in the U.K.,” Springsteen says. “Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour. The might E Street Band in here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, or music of rock ‘n’ roll in dangerous times. In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope in liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of the of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of the American experience to rise with us, to raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring. This is ‘Land of Hope and Dreams,’” Springsteen says before launching into the song.
Springsteen wrote the song in 1999 and performed it live with the E Street Band on tour several times, and released it on live albums, before the studio version was released on the Wrecking Ball album in 2012.
The new EP also includes live versions of “Long Walk Home,” “My City of Ruins” and a cover of the Bob Dylan classic “Chimes of Freedom.”
Related: Rock Legends Come to Bruce Springsteen’s Defense in War of Words With Donald Trump
“My City of Ruins” has a longer politically charged intro that clocks in a three-minutes and 30 seconds.
As E Street Band keyboardist Roy Bittan plays piano, Springsteen calls him off. “Now, easy Roy,” he says, before saying, “There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voice their dissent. This is happening now.”
“In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction to abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. In my country they are taking sadistic pleasure on the pain they inflict on loyal American workers.”
“They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more to a more just and plural society.”
“They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those fighting for their freedom. They’re defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands.”
“They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now.”
“A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.”
“The America l’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, ‘In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ Let’s pray.”
Springsteen’s speech, which he delivered on two nights on his U.K. tour so far, prompted Trump to lash out on Truth Social, calling him a “dried out prune of a rocker” and he made a seemingly veiled threat against Springsteen, writing he “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just ‘standard fare.’ Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!”
The text of Springsteen’s speeches are available on his website.
