Of an aspect bright and fair
And my sleepin' it was broken
But my dream it lingered near
In the form of shinin' valleys
Where the pure air recognized
Oh, and my senses newly opened
And I awakened to the cry
And the people have the power
To redeem the work of fools
From the meek the graces shower
It's decreed the people rule
People have the power
People have the power
People have the power
People have the power
Vengeful aspects became suspect
And bending low as if to hear
Well, and the armies ceased advancin'
Because the people had their ear
And the shepherds and the soldiers
And they laid among the stars
Exchanging visions, layin' arms
To waste in the dust
In the form of shinin' valleys
Where the pure air recognized
And my senses newly opened
And I awakened to the cry
People have the power
People have the power
People have the power
People have the power
Where there were deserts, I saw fountains
Like cream the waters rise
And we strolled there together
With none to laugh or criticize
There is no leopard and the lamb
And lay together truly bound
Well I was hopin' in my hopin'
To recall what I had found
Well I was dreamin' in my dreamin'
God knows a pure view
As I lay down into my sleepin'
And I commit my dream with you
People have the power
People have the power
People have the power
People have the power
The power to dream, to rule
To wrestle the earth from fools
But it's decreed the people rule
But it's decreed the people rule
Listen, I believe everythin' we dream
Can come to pass through our union
We can turn the world around
We can turn the earth's revolution
We have the power
People have the power
People have the power
People have the power
The power to dream, to rule
To wrestle the earth from fools
But it's decreed the people rule
But it's decreed the people rule
We have the power
We have the power
People have the power
We have the power
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, and author whose 1975 debut album Horses made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fused rock and poetry in her work. In 1978, her most widely known song, "Because the Night", co-written with Bruce Springsteen, reached 13th on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and fifth on the UK Singles Chart.
In 2005, Smith was named a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In November 2010, Smith won the National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids, written to fulfill a promise she made to Robert Mapplethorpe, her longtime partner. She is ranked 47th on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, published in 2010, and was awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2011.
