1) Petra is a Christia… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1) Petra is a Christian Rock band formed in 1972 by Bob Hartman, Bill Glover, John DeGroff, and Greg Hough. "Petra" means "rock" in NT Greek, making the band name a triple pun. Rising from the Jesus music movement, and initially signed to [recordlabel]Myrrh Records[/recordlabel], they fought to gain acceptance and recognition in a church culture that at the time believed rock music to be off-limits. Over time they eventually won over most of their critics, thanks to a steady approach and some solid adult contemporary airplay hits like "The Coloring Song," outside of their usual rock fare. By the mid-80's, when lead singer Greg X. Volz left the band and was replaced by John Schlitt, Petra had solidified their place as the foremost Christian rock band in the industry with a string of hit albums and singles and strong touring. The release of Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out marked a turn towards modern-sounding worship music that would soon explode into the modern worship movement.
Petra was nominated for and won numerous Grammy and Dove Awards. In 1991, after the release of their acclaimed Beyond Belief record, Petra became the first rock band ever to win for Group of the Year at the Dove Awards. They were also the first Christian rock band to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
For three decades Petra continued to produce albums despite changes in their line-up as well as the genre and market. On May 24th, 2005 Petra announced their retirement after 33 years of ministry. They recorded one of their final performances in Franklin, Tennessee to release it as their last album, Farewell. Their last performance finished in the early hours of January 1, 2006 in Murphy, North Carolina. Bob Hartman and John Schlitt continue to tour under the moniker II Guys From Petra.
Lineups through the years:
Early 80's Captured in Time & Space lineup: Bob Hartman, Greg X. Volz, John Slick, Mark Kelly, Louie Weaver, John Lawry
Late 80's "Beyond Belief dream team" lineup: Bob Hartman, John Schlitt, John Lawry, Louie Weaver, Ronny Cates
Late 90's Petra Praise 2 - We Need Jesus lineup: John Schlitt, Louie Weaver, Lonnie Chapin, Pete Orta, Kevin Brandow
Farewell CD lineup: John Schlitt, Bob Hartman, Greg Bailey, Paul Simmons, with special appearances by Greg X. Volz and John Lawry
More members: Rob Frazier, Jim Cooper, David Lichens, Trent Thomason, Bryce Bell, Quinton Gibson, Justin Johnson
See also http://www.petraband.com/
Back To The Street
Petra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Settle into apathy and forget what the harvest yields
It's so easy to think we're finished with our labor for awhile
Kick back and let somebody else go the extra mile
Jesus said Go (Go!) into all the world
Make disciples of all men
We gotta Go (Go!) to the highways and compel them to come in
As long as there's a weary soul ready to end the fight
As long as there's an aching heart that still has strength to beat
We gotta take this message back to the street
We gotta take this message back to the street
It's so easy to stay untangled in everyone else's life
Don't get involved with strangers don't get involved with strife
It's so easy to save your own life resting on what you've done
But Jesus would leave the ninety nine to try to save the one
It's not easy to beat the system
It's not easy to face the heat
But somebody's got to take this message
Back to the street
The lyrics of Petra's song Back To The Street call for an urgent need to carry out the Great Commission. The song highlights how easy it is for Christians to forget their mission and become complacent in their comfort zones. The first verse stresses the need to remain focused on the harvest and not lose sight of the fields. It is a reminder that as a disciple of Christ, one should not sit back and let others do the work. The second verse emphasizes the need to get involved in other people's lives, even if it means stepping out of one's comfort zone. Jesus left the ninety-nine to save one, and Christians are called to do the same.
The chorus of the song urges Christians to take the message of Christ to the streets, especially to those who are hurting and lost. The Great Commission, as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, is a call for Christians to reach out to all nations and share the message of salvation. The bridge reminds Christians that it is not easy to beat the system or face the heat. However, it is a responsibility that should not be ignored.
Overall, the song is a call to action for Christians to take their mission seriously and not sit back in complacency. It reminds listeners that there is still work to be done and people who need to hear the message of Christ.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so easy to lose the burden - Take our eyes off the fields
It's tempting to stop focusing on the work and become disengaged with the mission.
Settle into apathy and forget what the harvest yields
It's easy to become complacent and forget the importance of the work you're doing.
It's so easy to think we're finished with our labor for awhile
It's easy to believe that our work is done and take a break from it for a while.
Kick back and let somebody else go the extra mile
It's tempting to relax and let others pick up the slack while we take a break.
Jesus said Go (Go!) into all the world
Jesus commanded us to go out into the world and spread His message.
Make disciples of all men
Our mission is to help others become followers of Christ.
We gotta Go (Go!) to the highways and compel them to come in
We need to actively seek out those who need to hear the message and bring them to it.
As long as there's a tearful eye that cries alone at night
We need to continue our work as long as there are those who are hurting and in need of comfort.
As long as there's a weary soul ready to end the fight
We need to continue our work as long as there are those who are tired and ready to give up.
As long as there's an aching heart that still has strength to beat
We need to continue our work as long as there are those who are suffering but still have hope.
We gotta take this message back to the street
It's our responsibility to bring the message of Christ to those who need it the most.
It's so easy to stay untangled in everyone else's life
It's easy to become detached from the people around us and not get involved in their struggles.
Don't get involved with strangers don't get involved with strife
It's tempting to avoid conflict and not get involved with people we don't know.
It's so easy to save your own life resting on what you've done
It's easy to become complacent and think we've done enough to help ourselves.
But Jesus would leave the ninety nine to try to save the one
Jesus showed us that we should be willing to go to great lengths to help even one person who is in need.
It's not easy to beat the system
The work we are doing to spread the message of Christ is challenging and difficult.
It's not easy to face the heat
It's hard to stand up for what we believe in, especially when facing opposition or criticism.
But somebody's got to take this message
Despite the challenges, it's still our responsibility to continue spreading the message of Christ.
Back to the street
We need to bring the message to the people who need it the most, even if it means going outside of our comfort zone.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
GothicGrape
I was singing this one on the way home from work today, and think I alarmed a random pedestrian when I accidentally yelled JESUS SAID GO! at him.
A Shot of Whiskey
That's awesome. It may have been an accident, but it may have also opened a long-sealed door.
Joanne Marshall
LOL love THAT 😁😂❣
Frederick Westberry
😂😂😂 I love it. Praise the Lord.
Brewtality Films LLC
This album will FOREVER be in my collection and listened to. CLASSIC!
Jordan Williams
Easily their best album. Been listening to it for almost two decades
WobblinGoblin1
I think you're correct about that. They're top three are, IMO: BTTS, MPTY, and TMW.
Smartguy561
The first album with John Schlitt as lead singer!
Ben Smith
I think Beyond Belief has got to be up there
Hambone3773
Interesting opinion. This was one of my least favorite Petra albums. Mostly due to production being relatively thin.