Santa Fe Raging Grannies’ Astonishing Twist on Hit the Road Jack
You know the tune, but one small change gives it a whole new meaning. Singing “Hit the road, ICE,” the Santa Fe Raging Grannies turn Ray Charles’s classic into a call for change. Behind the familiar chorus is a serious message about fear, violence, and the people affected.
The group returns to that chorus again and again, giving their message a steady strength. It’s a simple performance that shows how a familiar song can help people speak up for others.
“Hit the Road, Jack” is easy to recognize and sing along with. The Santa Fe Raging Grannies use that familiar tune to send a clear message to ICE. Granny Marcy wrote the new lyrics, which also take aim at Customs and Border Protection and call for the Department of Homeland Security to close.
The familiar tune carries some painful words. In the first verse, the Grannies describe people being hunted in the streets. They accuse authorities of using false stories to blame victims after their deaths. Their “kill you twice” line sums up that anger: first a life is taken, then the person’s name is damaged. These are claims made in the song.
The next verse brings that fear closer to home. Relatives scream as loved ones are taken away. The lyrics describe agents entering clinics, schools, and homes, places where people hope to feel safe. The Grannies also accuse agents of expecting to escape blame. Beneath the anger is a clear demand: those who cause harm should answer for it.
The third verse uses sharp humor to criticize leaders and the orders they give. It ends by calling for the Department of Homeland Security to be shut down.
The Grannies changed this verse after posting the video. The newer lyrics accuse officials of breaking the laws they claim to uphold and raise questions about deaths in custody. Those words are part of the later rewrite, so you won’t hear them in this performance.
Both versions return to the same clear demand in the chorus: ICE should leave and not come back.
The Raging Grannies movement began in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1987, and the Santa Fe chapter has brought rewritten songs to public demonstrations. The channel credits “Hit the Road, Jack” as the tune behind this one. Ray Charles’s official lyrics video lets listeners hear the famous refrain that the Grannies put to new use.
Their performance pairs an instantly recognizable melody with urgent words about families, fear and federal power.
