Mary Mary is an American gospel group, consisting of sisters Erica Monique … Read Full Bio ↴Mary Mary is an American gospel group, consisting of sisters Erica Monique Campbell (born April 29, 1972) and Trecina "Tina" Evette Campbell (born May 1, 1974), and are often credited for broadening the fan base of contemporary gospel in the 2000s by introducing elements of soul music and hip hop.
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.

You Will Know
Mary Mary Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lonely one of young so brokenhearted
Travelling down the rigid road of life
Using pharmaceutical extractions
To find the paradise

Finds the high but comes down feeling lower
Gets down on their knees and starts to pray
Looking up to heaven for the answer

They hear a voice that says

You will know
Troubled heart you'll know
Problems have solutions
Trust and I will show

You will know
Troubled heart you'll know
Every life has reason
For I made it so

Single parent trying to raise their children
But they would much rather not alone
Reaches out to find that special someone
To make their house a home

Finds someone but no one is the right one
Gets down on their knees and starts to pray
Looking up to heaven for the answer
They hear a voice that says

You will know
Troubled heart you'll know
Problems have solutions
Trust and I will show

You will know
Troubled heart you'll know

Every life has reason
For I made it so

Overall Meaning

The song "You Will Know" by Mary Mary is a powerful message of hope and faith in times of trouble. The lyrics address the challenges faced by two different individuals, a lonely drug user and a single parent, who turn to prayer for guidance and comfort. The song speaks to the universal human experience of feeling lost and searching for purpose, and provides a message of encouragement and reassurance that there is a reason for everything and that solutions to problems can be found through trust and faith.

The opening verse describes a person who is lost and brokenhearted, using drugs to escape the difficulties of life. However, despite the temporary relief provided by the drugs, the person still feels unsatisfied and turns to prayer as a means of finding true happiness and fulfillment. The second verse speaks to the challenges faced by a single parent, who longs to find a partner to share their life with but struggles to find the right person. Again, the message is one of faith and trust, with the promise that there is a reason for every life and that solutions to problems can be found through prayer and a belief in a higher power.

Overall, the song "You Will Know" offers a message of hope and reassurance in times of trouble, encouraging listeners to have faith that answers will come and that there is a greater purpose to their lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Lonely one of young so brokenhearted
A young individual with a broken heart who feels lonely

Travelling down the rigid road of life
They are living life with all its struggles

Using pharmaceutical extractions
They are using drugs to escape reality

To find the paradise
They seek a better life without pain and problems

Finds the high but comes down feeling lower
They feel temporary relief but suffer from the side effects

Gets down on their knees and starts to pray
They turn to God for guidance

Looking up to heaven for the answer
They seek divine intervention

They hear a voice that says
God speaks to them

You will know
God's promise to reveal the truth and solutions

Troubled heart you'll know
God addresses those with problems and suffering

Problems have solutions
God assures them that there is always a way out