Band members
* Leeland Mooring - Lead vocal, Guitars
* Casey Moore - lead guitar, background vocals
Touring musicians
Josias Badillo - bass guitar
Payden Hilliard - drums
David Ramirez - keys
Former Band members
* Jack Mooring - Backing vocal, Keyboard (2004-2015)
* Mike Smith - Drums (2004-2015)
* Shelly Mooring - Backing vocal, Bass (2011-2015)
* Jeremiah Wood (2002-2006)
* Austin Tirado (2006-2007)
* Matt Campbell (2007-2009)
* Jake Holtz (2002-2011)
Beginnings
At the age of 11, Leeland Mooring wrote his first song, "Shine". After having a successful performance of it at a church in Illinois while the Moorings were touring the United States as evangelists, he felt a spiritual calling towards music. His mother, Cyndy Mooring, entered him in a contest in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 14, and was a finalist in the songwriting and artist divisions. Although he did not win, one of the contest judges, Kent Coley, took interest in the young teen. He is now their manager. Later at the age of 15 he attracted the attention of Eddie DeGarmo, President of EMI CMG Publishing, and signed a songwriting contract with EMI CMG Publishing. While practicing after youth group, Leeland, his older brother Jack, their cousin Jake Holtz, and two close friends from church, Mike Smith and Jeremiah Wood, realized they had become a band. They decided to use Leeland's name for the band because they liked the way it sounded. They later started practicing in the night at a funeral home.
The band has worked closely with Christian music legend Michael W. Smith. Leeland Mooring co-wrote seven songs on Smith's new album, Stand, while Jack Mooring married Smith's daughter Whitney Smith-Mooring on June 1, 2007.
Discography
* Sound of Melodies (2006)
* Opposite Way (2008)
* Love Is on the Move (2009)
* The Great Awakening (2011)
* Invisible (2016)
Sound of Melodies (2005-2007)
The band's debut album, Sound of Melodies, was released in the USA on August 15, 2006. At the 49th Grammy Awards on December 7, 2006, the album was nominated for "Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album". Sound of Melodies was also released in Japan on March 21, 2007, with the title song "Sound of Melodies" peaking at #6 on the general Japan radio chart.
Opposite Way (2008-2009)
Their second album Opposite Way, released on February 26, 2008, received success in its first few weeks of release. In its debut week, Opposite Way reached #1 on the iTunes Christian Albums chart. By March 15, 2008, it had reached a peak position of #72 on the Billboard Top 200 albums. Since September 2007, Leeland has been on "The Altar and the Door Tour" with Grammy Award-winning band Casting Crowns, which will continue until May 1, 2008.
Love Is on the Move (2009-present)
Leeland's third studio album, titled Love Is on the Move, is scheduled for release on August 25, 2009 in the United States.
Changes in membership and label
In early 2011, only a few months before the release of their fourth studio album, bassist Jake Holtz left the band to pursue a career with the US Army.Leeland's fourth studio album, The Great Awakening, was released on September 20, 2011.
In September 2015, Leeland announced via YouTube that they would be joining Bethel Music as part of the Bethel Music Collective,after Leeland Mooring and Casey Moore established an organic friendship with Bethel's founding member, Brian Johnson.Leeland's fifth full-length studio album, Invisible, was released on July 22, 2016. It is the first album the band has released under the Bethel label, with Brian Johnson featuring on the song "Son Was Lifted Up".
Touring
Leeland performed at all the Student Life "Clarity" conferences in 2007. In late 2007, they were on The Altar and the Door tour with Casting Crowns and John Waller, which started September 27, 2007 and ended December 2, 2007. They are currently on the spring leg of the tour, which began on January 31, 2008 and will end May 1.Leeland made their Canadian debut in Ottawa, Ontario at the Life Centre during the annual Shift Conference on March 10-11, 2007.
In September 23, 2009, the band will launch their "Follow You Tour", co-headlining with Brandon Heath and featuring Francesca Battistelli as an opening act.
Grammy Award nominations
2007: Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album - Sound of Melodies GMA Dove Award nominations
In 2007 they were nominated for five GMA Dove Awards in the categories New Artist of the Year, Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year (for the song "Sound of Melodies"), Worship Song of the Year (for "Yes You Have"), Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year and Praise & Worship Album of the Year.
In 2008, their song "Tears of the Saints" was nominated for two Dove Awards: "Song of the Year" and "Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year". Leeland Mooring was nominated for "Songwriter of the Year", and co-writer with Michael W. Smith for "Be Lifted High" in the "Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year" category.
Weak Man
Leeland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let there be a death in me
I'm making room for all that You are
Give me Your heart
Jesus, give me Your heart
Break me down, build me up
Let who I was keep falling apart
My Creator, oh my Creator
May I be low, low, low so You're made higher
May I be low, low, low so You're made higher
And I'll be weak for You are strong
Weak for You are strong in the weak man
Jesus, give me Your heart
Burn away all the drugs
Come on, let the fire start
Give me Your heart
My Creator, oh my Creator
May I be low, low, low so You're made higher
May I be low, low, low so You're made higher
And I'll be weak for You are strong
Weak for You are strong in the weak man
I wanna make You higher
Lord, it's my heart's desire, oh
I wanna make You higher, oh
May I be low, low so You're made higher
May I be low, low, low so You're made higher
And I'll be weak for You are strong
Weak for You are strong
May I be low, low, low so You're made higher
May I be low, low, low so You're made higher
And I'll be weak for You are strong
Weak for You are strong, weak for You I strong
In the weak man, yeah, in the weak man
The lyrics of Leeland's "Weak Man" are a reflection of a person's desire for Jesus to transform them. The lyrics speak about the need for Jesus to occupy the heart of the individual, which requires a death of the ego and a surrender to Jesus's will. The line, "Let who I was keep falling apart," refers to the need for the old self to die, and for a new self to be born, one that is aligned with Jesus's purpose. The lyrics further reference the need for humility, “May I be low, low, low so You're made higher," which emphasizes the need to recognize one's weakness and dependence on Jesus's strength.
The use of the term "weak man" in the chorus can be understood as a person who recognizes their weakness and turns to Jesus for strength. The lyrics encourage the listener to embrace their weakness because in those moments Jesus's strength is revealed. The song's bridge emphasizes a desire to lift Jesus higher, which aligns with the biblical teachings on Jesus's character and his desire to transform people.
Line by Line Meaning
Jesus, give me Your heart
I am asking Jesus to give me his compassionate and loving nature
Let there be a death in me
I am willing to let go of my old self so that I can become a better version of myself
I'm making room for all that You are
I am creating space within me for Jesus' teachings, guidance, and transformative power
Break me down, build me up
I am willing to go through a process of breaking down my ego and rebuilding myself with Jesus' help
Let who I was keep falling apart
I am acknowledging that my past self and behaviors may no longer serve me and I am willing to let them go
My Creator, oh my Creator
I am recognizing that Jesus is my maker and I want to connect with him on a deeper level
May I be low, low, low so You're made higher
I am expressing my desire to be humble and selfless so that Jesus' greatness can shine through me
And I'll be weak for You are strong
I am acknowledging that my weaknesses can be transformed into strengths with Jesus' help
Burn away all the drugs
I am asking Jesus to heal me from any addictions I may have
Come on, let the fire start
I am asking for Jesus' transformative fire to begin the healing process within me
I wanna make You higher
I want Jesus to be exalted and magnified in my life
Lord, it's my heart's desire, oh
I am expressing my genuine and earnest desire for a deeper relationship with Jesus
Weak for You are strong in the weak man
I am recognizing that even in my weakness, Jesus' strength can empower me
And I'll be weak for You are strong
I am recognizing that my weaknesses can become strengths with Jesus' transformative power
Weak for You are strong, weak for You I strong
I am paradoxically recognizing that my dependence on Jesus makes me stronger in the long run
In the weak man, yeah, in the weak man
I am asserting that weakness is not necessarily a flaw or a sign of inferiority, but rather an opportunity for growth and transformation with Jesus' help
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: ED CASH, JACK MOORING, LEELAND MOORING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind