Erica Atkins-Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell were born in Inglewood,
California. The Campbell (formerly Atkins) sisters grew up as part of a large family of nine children in Inglewood, California. Their parents are Thomasina (An evangelist and choir director at the Evangelistic Church of God in Christ) and Eddie (a youth minister). Because of their proximity in age, the two singers grew up closer to one another than to any of their seven siblings. The sisters quickly entered the world of church choirs, traveling gospel shows, and some television productions. All nine Atkins children were on the Bobby Jones Gospel show on BET.
The sisters had their sights set on making music a career and enrolled at El Camino College to study voice. There they ran up against the divide between academic music studies and the popular musical world. "We had to study classical and sing arias, which was fine," Erica told the Times, "but the teachers would tell us if we sang anything else it would damage our instrument." The sisters tours with the 1995 Michael Matthews traveling gospel show Mama I'm Sorry and Sneaky. Each sister subsequently toured as a backup singer for a variety of R&B acts including Brandy.
A meeting with producer Warryn Campbell led to their song publishing deal with the giant EMI music conglomerate and a series of songs that landed on the soundtracks. They wrote "Dance" and performed it with Robin S. for the soundtrack to the 1998 film Dr. Dolittle; "Let Go, Let God" for The Prince of Egypt Inspirational, one of three soundtrack albums for the film; and songs of theirs were recorded by Yolanda Adams and 702. At the same time, Mary Mary as a musical entity took shape.
The sisters' profile in the gospel industry was raised when their songs "Time To Change" and "Yeah" were recorded by Yolanda Adams on the Mountain High... Valley Low CD. The duo was subsequently signed to Columbia Records/C2 Records and decided to perform under the name Mary Mary, honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. They were first gospel act to record for the industry giant Columbia Records since Tramaine Hawkins in the mid-1990s. Their first single, "Shackles (Praise You)" became a crossover hit, being popular with gospel, R&B, and pop audiences. It was a Top 10 R&B and Top 40 pop hit, and peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became the first gospel song in five years to crack the R&B top ten and gained wide exposure on the MTV video cable channel. The album was a huge success because it offered a younger, hipper version of gospel that audiences could relate to.
Their first album, Thankful (Mary Mary Album) in May 2000, which would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, and a second single, "I Sings". Peaking at #1 on the Gospel album chart and at #59 of the overall Top 200 chart, Thankful was certified Platinum for sales of 1 million copies in the USA. Both singles were also hits in the UK and Europe, and to this day remain popular with Christian youths in the US, Latin America, and Europe.
With their second album Incredible, the duo was able to maintain their success. The record, soon after its release, went to #1 on the Gospel chart, and was able to enter the Top 20 of the Top 200 album chart. Incredible was later certified Gold for 500,000 copies sold in the United States. The album's singles In The Morning and I Try became relatively large hits within the contemporary gospel nation.
After taking time off to have children, their third album Mary Mary appeared. It became the duo's first album to enter the Top 10 on Billboard and was later on certified Gold for sales of 500,000 copies. The first single "Heaven" containing a sample from seventies soul trio the Honey Cone's "Want Ads". Heaven made history and broke chart records as it had an unprecedented 9 week run as the #1 record on Billboard's Gospel Radio chart. The second single, "Yesterday", also became a hit, especially on the Adult R&B charts where it peaked at #10. On the R&B/Hip Hop chart, the song became their second biggest hit since "Shackles" in 2000, reaching the #53 spot so far.
On October 10, 2006`, the recording group released their most recent album inspired by Christmas songs and is called A Mary Mary Christmas.
Still My Child
Mary Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was trying hard to break
And every time he thought it got better
He would make another mistake
Though he knows he's far from perfect
He is trying to live right
He asked me to ask You Father
Would You hear his prayer tonight?
He said you tell Him I really need Him
I really want to change
The next time you talk to God
Would you please mention my name
Would you tell Him that I really love Him
And although it's been a while
Ask Him for me am I still His child
I asked her how she was doing
She said not so good lately
Then I told her girl you know
You can always talk to me
She said these days haven't been so happy
Haven't had much peace of mind
Now I know that I should be praying
But I have haven't had time
He said you tell Him I really need Him
I really want to change
The next time you talk to God
Would you please mention my name
Would you tell Him that I really love Him
And although it's been a while
Ask Him for me am I still His child
I know the answer to your question
Yes the Father still loves
Sometimes when you have children
You don't always like what they do
So when go to your heavenly Father
Say Lord I love You
And when you ask Him for forgiveness
This is what He'll say to you
I sent a message in the wind
When the birds sang their song
And when you went to sleep last night
I told the moon shine all night long
Just wanted you to talked to me
And I know it's been a while
And to answer the question
You are still my child
The lyrics in Mary Mary’s song “Still My Child” tell the story of two people who are struggling with different issues but share the common thread of feeling disconnected from God. The first verse describes a man who is trying to break bad habits but keeps making mistakes, yet he still desires to be close to God. He asks the singer to pray for him, to ask God if he is still loved and accepted as a child. The second verse tells the story of a woman who is going through tough times but has been too overwhelmed to pray. The singer reminds her that God is always available to talk to and to seek comfort from.
The chorus reiterates the message that no matter what one has done or how long it has been since they’ve talked to God, they are still loved and accepted as God’s child. The bridge reinforces the idea that even when we have done things that disappoint God, we can always come back to Him with love and repentance, and He will always forgive us.
Overall, “Still My Child” is a song about redemption and the power of faith to overcome personal struggles. It reminds listeners that no matter how far they may feel from God, they are always welcome back into His love.
Line by Line Meaning
He had many of bad habits
He had a lot of bad habits he was struggling with
He was trying hard to break
He was making an effort to overcome his bad habits
And every time he thought it got better
Even though he thought he was improving
He would make another mistake
He would still mess up occasionally
Though he knows he's far from perfect
Even though he's aware that he's not flawless
He is trying to live right
He wants to live a good life
He asked me to ask You Father
He asked me to speak to God on his behalf
Would You hear his prayer tonight?
Would You listen to his prayer tonight?
He said you tell Him I really need Him
He asked me to relay his message to God
I really want to change
He really wants to become a better person
The next time you talk to God
Next time you speak to God
Would you please mention my name
Would you bring me up to God
Would you tell Him that I really love Him
Would you let God know that he loves Him
And although it's been a while
Even though it's been some time
Ask Him for me am I still His child
Can you ask God if I'm still his child?
I asked her how she was doing
I asked her how she's been lately
She said not so good lately
She's been struggling recently
Then I told her girl you know
Then I reminded her that she can always talk to me
You can always talk to me
She can come to me whenever she needs someone to talk to
She said these days haven't been so happy
She's been unhappy recently
Haven't had much peace of mind
She's been feeling anxious and stressed
Now I know that I should be praying
She knows she should be praying
But I have haven't had time
But she hasn't had the time to do so
I know the answer to your question
I know the answer to your question
Yes the Father still loves
God still loves you
Sometimes when you have children
Sometimes when you have kids
You don't always like what they do
You may not approve of everything they do
So when go to your heavenly Father
When you approach God
Say Lord I love You
Express your love for God
And when you ask Him for forgiveness
And when you ask for God's forgiveness
This is what He'll say to you
This is what God will tell you
I sent a message in the wind
I conveyed a message on the wind
When the birds sang their song
When the birds were singing
And when you went to sleep last night
When you went to bed last night
I told the moon shine all night long
I asked the moon to shine all night long
Just wanted you to talked to me
I just wanted you to talk to me
And I know it's been a while
And I know it's been a while
And to answer the question
To answer your question
You are still my child
You are still a part of me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Erica Atkins-Campbell, Trecina Atkins-Campbell, Warryn Campbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind