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.
Trouble Ain't
Mary Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't say you'll never be lonely again
My friend
But you see there's a remedy
There's someone who's got
Everything you need
And if you hear what I'm saying
I'm sure you'll agree that?
[Chorus:]
Trouble ain't gon' be here everyday
Even though sometimes it seems like it won't go away
After you've done all that you know how
Just to keep from breaking down
Just believe it's gonna get much better
After awhile
Sometimes I sit back and I think about
Where I've been and where I am
Right now
See I wasn't quite sure you could
Hear me calling
But you were there to catch me
When I was falling
So I know
[Chorus]
Oh sometimes we may just want to cry
Then you tell me it's gonna be alright
You can't go through life
Living problem free
But you got to keep the faith
And you got to believe
So the next time you're feeling
A little frustration
And you going through
A bad situation
Remind yourself that it won't last for long
'Cause soon it will be over and you'll be moving
Cause
[Chorus]
Mary Mary's "Trouble Ain't" is a song about perseverance and keeping faith during difficult times. The song acknowledges that life can be tough and there may be pain and loneliness, but there is always a remedy. The remedy in this case is someone who has everything you need, and the listener is encouraged to believe that things will get better.
The chorus emphasizes that trouble is not permanent and even though it may seem like it will never go away, it will eventually pass. The lyrics encourage the listener to hold on and have faith that better times are coming. The verses tell a story of personal experience and how the person singing the song was once in a difficult situation but was able to overcome it with the help of faith and perseverance. The song ends on a positive note, with the reminder that bad situations are temporary and one should keep moving forward.
Overall, the message of "Trouble Ain't" is to keep the faith and believe that things will get better. It acknowledges that life can be challenging, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and one should keep moving towards it.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't promise you no pain no tears
I can't guarantee that your life will be free of pain or sadness.
Can't say you'll never be lonely again
I can't promise that you will never feel alone.
But you see there's a remedy
However, there is a solution.
There's someone who's got everything you need
There is someone who has everything necessary to help you.
And if you hear what I'm saying
If you listen to me and understand what I am saying,
I'm sure you'll agree that?
You will undoubtedly agree that...
Trouble ain't gon' be here everyday
Difficulties are not permanent fixtures in our lives that we have to face every day.
Even though sometimes it seems like it won't go away
Although obstacles may seem insurmountable at times, they will eventually fade away.
After you've done all that you know how
After doing everything you are capable of,
Just to keep from breaking down
To prevent losing control from emotional stress,
Just believe it's gonna get much better after awhile
You must have faith that the situation will improve significantly in the future.
Sometimes I sit back and I think about where I've been and where I am right now
Occasionally, I reflect on my path, my current situation, and where I am in life.
See I wasn't quite sure you could hear me calling
I wasn't entirely certain that anyone was there to listen to me when I needed them.
But you were there to catch me when I was falling
But you were there to support me during my lowest moments.
So I know
So I understand that...
Oh sometimes we may just want to cry
Sometimes, we just need to give in to our emotions and cry.
Then you tell me it's gonna be alright
That's when you reassure me that everything will be okay.
You can't go through life living problem free
It is impossible to go through life without any issues.
But you got to keep the faith and you got to believe
But you must maintain your faith and believe that everything will work out in the end.
So the next time you're feeling a little frustration
Therefore, when you feel a little frustrated in the future,
And you going through a bad situation
Or when you are experiencing a challenging time,
Remind yourself that it won't last for long
Remember that it is temporary and will not last forever.
'Cause soon it will be over and you'll be moving
That's because it will end soon, and you will move on.
After awhile
Over time.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERICA ATKINS-CAMPBELL, ERICA MONIQUE ATKINS-CAMPBELL, JOHN T SMITH, TRECINA ATKINS-CAMPBELL, WARRYN CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind