Ode to Renee Nicole Good 1988-2026 (Tribute Song) - Jay Himmelstein
After the killing of Renee Nicole by ICE agents and the horrific response from 'those in high places', I was reminded of Dylan's "The Lonely Death of Hattie Caroll", who was killed at the Emerson Hotel by William Zatzinger in 1963. I couldn't get the chorus out of my head, and adapted based on Dylan's lyrics in memory of Renee and our current struggle.
Ode to Renee Nicole Good (1988–2026)
Music and lyrical structure based on "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" by Bob Dylan (© 1964 Warner Bros. Inc.)
New Lyrics by Jay Himmelstein Vocals/Performance by Jay Himmelstein
Recorded at OMB Studios, Paxton, MA | January 10, 2026
Verse 1
Renee Nicole was a poet of grace
With a six-year-old’s kiss still fresh on her face (she’d just)
Dropped him at school with his books and his toys
Away from the sirens and the shouting and noise
She sat in her seat, “I’m not mad” she had said
While the thoughts of escaping spun round in her head
A wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend
(Who) never could guess how this morning would end
Slumped o’er the wheel as the metal gave way (while stuffed)
Animals watched from the dashboard that day
Chorus:
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears
Verse 2
Then the high-office voices began to proclaim
That the victim herself was the one left to blame
They called her a “terrorist” without missing a beat (to)
Justify blood on the cold city street
They spoke of “immunity” “duty” and “dread”
While the neighborhood gathered to mourn for the dead
They spun out a story of a car used like steel
While the videos showed only hands on a wheel
And the agents stood back as the doctors came near (saying)
“Stay where you are” through the panic and fear
Chorus:
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears
Verse 3:
And the gavel is waiting in a room far away
To see if the law has a word left to say
For a poet who’s silenced, for a child left alone
For a city that’s weary and chilled to the bone
When the “absolute power” meets the weight of the truth
And the “imminent threat” was just a mother in youth
They’re closing the record with the evidence sealed
While the scars of the street are left never to heal
And a six-year-old waits for a ride at the gate
For the justice he needs may come far too late
Chorus:
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury that rag deep in your face
For now is the time for our tears
#reneegood #alexpretti #protestmusic #courage #mineapolisresitance