Bruce Springsteen refers to slavery as "the great unresolved issue of American society"

Bruce Springsteen reflected on the current societal turmoil shaking America on the SiriusXM airwaves this morning, following the homicide of black man George Floyd at the hands of police.

As part of the singer's Bruce Springsteen — From His Home to Yours series on E Street Radio, he spoke out about the protest movement that has erupted all across the US and around the world in support of Black Lives Matter.

The songs he chose to play throughout the two-hour broadcast touched on themes of political protest and racial injustice.

He started off with his 2000 song '41 Shots (American Skin)', written about the death of unarmed Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo at the hands of the New York Police Department.

“Eight minutes,” Springsteen said. “That song is almost eight minutes long. That’s how long it took George Floyd to die with a Minneapolis officer’s knee buried into his neck. That’s a long time. That’s how long he begged for help and said he couldn’t breathe. The arresting officer’s response was nothing but silence and weight. Then he had no pulse. And still it went on…May he rest in peace.”

“As we speak, 40 million people are unemployed,” he added.

“100,000 plus citizens have died from COVID-19 with only the most tepid and unfeeling response from our White House. As of today, our black citizens continue to be killed unnecessarily by our police on the streets of America. As of this broadcast, the country is on fire and in chaos.”

Other songs on the broadcast included Childish Gambino's 'This Is America', Bob Marley and the Wailers’ 'Burnin’ and Lootin,'', Kanye West’s 'Who Will Survive in America?' and three Bob Dylan offerings: 'Political World,' 'Blinde Willie McTell' and 'Murder Most Foul'.

“We remain haunted, generation after generation, by our original sin of slavery,” Springsteen said.

“It remains the great unresolved issue of American society. The weight of its baggage gets heavier with each passing generation. As of this violent, chaotic week on the streets of America, there is no end in sight.”

Playing the Billie Holiday classic 'Strange Fruit', which he described as, “One of the darkest songs in the American canon,” Springsteen said:

“The video of the death of George Floyd is a 21st century visual lynching and ‘Strange Fruit’ was written about the lynchings about black Americans after the Reconstruction and into the 20 century.”

The singer also played a Martin Luther King Jr. speech during the set, which was delivered to a Birmingham, Alabama, audience during the Civil Rights Movement.

“We have not cared for our house very well,” Springsteen said.

“There can be no standing peace without the justice owed to every American regardless of their race, colour or creed. The events of the last week have once again proved that idea. We need systemic changes in our law enforcement departments and the political will of our national citizenry to once again move forward the kind of changes that will bring the ideals of the civil rights movement once again to life and into this moment.”

Concluding the show with 'America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee)' by the United States Army Field Band Soldiers Chorus and 'In My Hour of Darkness' by Gram Parsons, Springsteen urged the American people to think about the future of their nation.

“We have a choice between chaos or community, a spiritual, moral and democratic awakening or becoming a nation fallen to history as critical issues were refused or not addressed,” he said.

“Is our American system flexible enough to make, without violence, the humane, fundamental changes necessary for a just society?”

“The American story, our story, is in our hands and may God bless us all,” he continued. “Stay safe. Stay well. Stay strong. Until we meet again, stay involved. And go in peace.”