The band was formed by Marc Martel and Jason Germain who were roommates at Briercrest Bible College in Caronport, Saskatchewan. Martel and Germain added fellow Canadians Jeremy Thiessen and Tyson Manning, along with American Corey Doak in 1999, and released an eponymous debut album independently on Slyngshot Records. Tyson and Doak left the band, and later on Downhere signed with Word Records. In February 2001, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee. The band soon added bassist Glenn Lavender, whom they had met two years earlier, after his band broke up. Downhere's independent album was reissued with the inclusion of bassist Lavender, and released in 2001 as their international debut, downhere.
Their second album, also released through Word Records was entitled So Much For Substitutes. In 2006 they were signed to Centricity Records and released Wide-Eyed and Mystified which led to the 2007 Juno Award for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year, and Covenant Awards for Rock Album of the Year and Recorded Song of the Year ("A Better Way").
In 2007, the band released two additional CDs that were unique. In early 2007, they released Wide-Eyed and Simplified, which contained new versions of 8 songs from Wide-Eyed and Mystified, in addition to three popular songs from earlier releases. Later in 2007, the band released Thunder After Lightning (The Uncut Demos). This album contained 15 previously unreleased demos which were considered for use on Wide-Eyed and Mystified but were not used. The CD also contained demo versions of two songs which were used on Wide-Eyed and Mystified. In April 2007, Downhere released Thank You for Coming (The Live Bootlegs), a six-song collection of live songs recorded in 2007 while on tour with Jason Gray & Lanae Hale.
Their next album, Ending Is Beginning, was released on September 23, 2008. The band released the songs for a few days and gave fans the chance to give input on which songs they should put on the album, and as a pre-release to Ending Is Beginning in June 2008 they gave away the whole album Wide-Eyed and Mystified as a free download.
In October 2009, they released How Many Kings: Songs for Christmas, a collection of Christmas songs. This included "How Many Kings", which was a bonus track on Ending Is Beginning. Between the release of Ending Is Beginning and On the Altar of Love, Downhere released Two at a Time: Sneak Peeks & B-Sides, a collection of older songs compiled over their career, as well as two new songs: "You're Not Alone" and "The Song You Sing". "You're Not Alone" was released as a single in May 2010.
In May 2011, the first single,"Let Me Rediscover You", from their upcoming album On the Altar of Love was released. The album itself was released August 23, 2011.
For Life
Downhere Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
North of the Denbigh line, oh Lord
For frosted pines shining like diamonds in the morning sun
For a pretty girl and for falling in love, oh love
For spring ice churning the driftwood shore
For birdsong air and windswept hair
For fiddle head strings, and flower bows
While Aspen leaves play tamborine,
For a soul, a song, and a voice to sing,
Just what I'm thinking
Thank You, God, for the open sky
Mysterious depths of her ocean eyes
Thank You for my dreams, my dreams
A poetry both tragic and beautiful
Thank You for life
For everything revealed to see
For what's kept in mystery, oh Lord
From the finer things to the shirt on my back
The less I have the less I lack
For passion and all that's within me
All that's within me
Behind every wonder I find a clue
Beginning to believe that it's coming true
I look onto a new rose dawn debut
Because with every breath You
Make me new
Before I turn it in tonight
Thank You for life
The lyrics of Downhere's song "For Life" express gratitude for the beauty and wonder of the world around us. The first verse describes several experiences and moments that have filled the singer with awe and joy, including starlit nights, frosted pines, falling in love, and the sound of music. The second verse broadens the scope of the gratitude to include everything that is revealed and everything that remains a mystery, recognizing that even the simple things like the shirt on our back are worth being thankful for. The chorus repeats the phrase "Thank You for life" as a celebration of existence itself, with all its ups and downs and mysterious depths.
The second half of the second verse is particularly interesting, as it acknowledges that behind every wonder there is a clue, and that the singer is beginning to believe that something greater is at work in the world. This line hints at a spiritual or religious aspect to the song, suggesting that the gratitude being expressed is directed towards a higher power or force that is responsible for the wonders of life. The final line of the song, "Before I turn it in tonight" adds a sense of urgency to the gratitude being expressed, as if the singer wants to make sure that they express their thanks before the day is done.
Overall, "For Life" is a beautiful and heartfelt expression of gratitude for the world around us, and a recognition that even the small things are worth being thankful for.
Line by Line Meaning
For memories on a starlit night
Thanking God for the fond memories that have been made on a clear night under the stars
North of the Denbigh line, oh Lord
Being grateful for living north of the Denbigh line and thanking God for it
For frosted pines shining like diamonds in the morning sun
Giving thanks to God for the beauty of frosted trees that sparkle in the sun
For a pretty girl and for falling in love, oh love
Expressing gratitude to God for the love and affection of a woman
For spring ice churning the driftwood shore
Being thankful for the natural phenomenon of waves breaking ice on the shore during springtime
For birdsong air and windswept hair
Expressing gratitude for the pleasant sounds of birds and the feeling of wind blowing through one's hair
For fiddle head strings, and flower bows
Being thankful for music and the beauty of nature and flowers
For thunder clouds rolling in a purple evening,
Thanking God for the majestic view of purple thunderous clouds during an evening
While Aspen leaves play tambourine,
Being grateful for the rustling sound of Aspen leaves that sound like a tambourine
For a soul, a song, and a voice to sing,
Thanking God for the ability to sing with one's voice and expressing soul through music
Just what I'm thinking
This line is just a part of the previous line and has no unique meaning by itself
Thank You, God, for the open sky
Being thankful for the vast expanse of the open sky above us and the beauty that it brings
Mysterious depths of her ocean eyes
Expressing gratitude to God for the beauty of a woman's ocean blue eyes
Thank You for my dreams, my dreams
Giving thanks to God for the ability to dream at night
A poetry both tragic and beautiful
Being grateful for the art of poetry that can convey both tragic and beautiful emotions
Thank You for life
Expressing thanks to God for the gift of life
For everything revealed to see
Giving thanks to God for all the things that are visible to us
For what's kept in mystery, oh Lord
Being grateful for the things that are kept as a mystery and can not be seen or understood
From the finer things to the shirt on my back
Thanking God for providing everything from small and subtle things to clothing one wears
The less I have the less I lack
Acknowledging that one becomes more content by needing less and being satisfied with what one already has
For passion and all that's within me
Giving thanks to God for the desire and enthusiasm that exists within oneself
All that's within me
Repeating the previous line and emphasizing the expression of gratitude for all the things within oneself
Behind every wonder I find a clue
Expressing how everything in the world is interconnected and how every wonder provides an opportunity for further clues
Beginning to believe that it's coming true
Having faith that a positive outcome is becoming a reality for oneself
I look onto a new rose dawn debut
Expressing hope and optimism for a new beginning like the debut of a new rose at dawn
Because with every breath You
Referring to God and acknowledging that every breath that we take is given by Him
Make me new
Asking God to renew and refresh oneself
Before I turn it in tonight
Expressing gratitude and thankfulness to God before ending the day
Contributed by Carson S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
STEVE CAIN
Another beautiful song from Downhere!
Stuart Wall
Definitely the most poetical song of the album, yet with some amazing rifts. This will have to feature on a long overdue Best of Album.
Kay Fullem
Guy got a voice on his own despite Marc's notoriety!
kenyangyal
Just love this song because this is always my prayer even when i have nothing else to say.I just thank God for LIFE! Jesus, You are our delight Love you Savior!
rmsturge
@tuurboclaw He's referring to Denbigh, Ontario, Canada. It's in the middle of the province, and north of there is one of Canada's most beautiful National Parks, Algonquin. So I believe he's singing about the beauty of God's creation, in a place he's been and experienced.
Lucas Penido
Does anybody have a live version of it?
tuurboclaw
What is the Denbigh line? Google says something about a train station in England.