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/
Hey World
Petra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Based on Jeremiah 1:5, Acts 17:25
It could have gone either way when it came down to the choice
To keep the life within a life that had no voice
It must have surely seemed the harder road to choose
To be so young to have to say who had the most to lose
But she came through like a champ and she blessed the world that day
Now the innocence and joy is there each day he wakes
Expressions of his love of life in every breath he takes
He could have been thrown away before he had a chance to say
(Chorus)
Hey world, I am here and I have something to give
Hey world, I'm alive and I am wanting to live
He turned to lock the door as he wiped away a tear
The hopelessness of missing love, his adolescent fear
As he struggled for the strength to put the gun away
He found the courage and the hope to face another day
He could have been blown away before he had a chance to say
Down the corridor or life in between our death and birth
We may start to lose our way in the search to find our worth
Our value comes in the fact we live
Life is a gift only God can give
The song Hey World by Petra tells the story of two individuals who choose to live despite the challenges they face. The first verse talks about a young mother who decides to keep her baby despite being faced with uncertainty and difficulty. She understands that she has a responsibility to care for the life within her and bless the world with the hope of a better life. The baby grows up with innocence and joy in his heart, expressing his love of life in every breath he takes. He could have been discarded before he had the chance to say anything, but he lives and has something to give to the world.
The second verse tells the story of a teenager who is struggling with the pain of missing love and contemplating suicide. He finds the courage and the hope to face another day, to live his life to the fullest, and to not let go of the gift of life that God has given him. The chorus shows that they both have something to give, they are alive and wanting to live, and their lives are a gift only God can give.
The message of the song is clear, life is a precious gift, and we must cherish it. No matter what challenges we face, we must keep going, keep living, keep striving, because we have something to give to the world. Hey World is a powerful and inspiring song that encourages us to value life and live it the best way we can.
Line by Line Meaning
It could have gone either way when it came down to the choice
There were two options, and the decision was not easy
To keep the life within a life that had no voice
To choose to keep a child and give it a chance at life
It must have surely seemed the harder road to choose
The decision was difficult and required strength
To be so young to have to say who had the most to lose
To make such a decision at a young age was difficult and challenging
But she came through like a champ and she blessed the world that day
She made the courageous decision and it had a positive impact on the world
Then gave the hope of a better life when she gave him away
She gave the child up for adoption, which provided hope for a better life
Now the innocence and joy is there each day he wakes
The child, who may have been aborted, now experiences innocence and joy
Expressions of his love of life in every breath he takes
The child loves life and expresses it in everything he does
He could have been thrown away before he had a chance to say
The child could have been aborted before he had the chance to live
(Chorus)
Hey world, I am here and I have something to give
Hey world, I'm alive and I am wanting to live
The child is here and has something to offer the world, and wants to live
He turned to lock the door as he wiped away a tear
A person is feeling sadness and is crying
The hopelessness of missing love, his adolescent fear
The person feels hopeless and fears being alone
As he struggled for the strength to put the gun away
The person is fighting to overcome suicidal thoughts
He found the courage and the hope to face another day
The person found the strength and optimism to live another day
He could have been blown away before he had a chance to say
The person may have committed suicide before having the opportunity to live
Down the corridor or life in between our death and birth
The journey of life, from birth to death
We may start to lose our way in the search to find our worth
We may struggle to find our purpose in life
Our value comes in the fact we live
Our worth comes from being alive
Life is a gift only God can give
Life is a blessing from a higher power
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ROBERT HARTMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Deans Wayward Wolf
[Based on Jeremiah 1:5, Acts 17:25]
It could have gone either way when it came down to the choice
To keep the life within a life that had no voice
It must have surely seemed the harder road to choose
To be so young to have to say who had the most to lose
But she came through like a champ and she blessed the world that day
Then gave the hope of a better life when she gave him away
Now the innocence and joy is there each day he wakes
Expressions of his love of life in every breath he takes
He could have been thrown away before he had a chance to say
Hey world, I am here and I have something to give
Hey world, I'm alive and I am wanting to live
He turned to lock the door as he wiped away a tear
The hopelessness of missing love, his adolescent fear
As he struggled for the strength to put the gun away
He found the courage and the hope to face another day
He could have been blown away before he had a chance to say
Down the corridor or life in between our death and birth
We may start to lose our way in the search to find our worth
Our value comes in the fact we live
Life is a gift only God can give
Dave Hilton
This song actually brings tears to my eyes. It is such a beautiful song. God bless you for undertaking this project. Considering the huge amount of songs in Petra's lifespan, you've been doing alot of work to get them on here. BTW, if you need any songs from their albums, let me know. I have every album from Beat the System to Farewell.
Mike Murphy
An anti-abortion, anti-suicide anthem.
An AWESOME song!
God bless!
Elijah Wood
Still sends shivers down my spine
Gilson Viana
I always loved Petra's music for such powerful and meaningful lyrics. This one, no doubt is one of a kind. God bless you all.
Adaliane Silva
Amo essa música. ♥♥
chrissyjoy08
Totally my favorite song from this album when I was a kid...so happy to find it again!! The bridge is the part that always gets me: "Down the corridor of life, in between our death and birth, we may stop to lose our way in the search to find our worth. Our value comes in the fact we live, life is a gift only God can give."
Flia Tieso
Muy buen album!!! Aunque pasen los años...
Marcio Britto oficial
love this song
4A_24_Peña Perez Samuel
many remembers with this song, wow!! 27 years ago with Our Lord Jesus!! Praise the Lord!!
Deans Wayward Wolf
[Based on Jeremiah 1:5, Acts 17:25]
It could have gone either way when it came down to the choice
To keep the life within a life that had no voice
It must have surely seemed the harder road to choose
To be so young to have to say who had the most to lose
But she came through like a champ and she blessed the world that day
Then gave the hope of a better life when she gave him away
Now the innocence and joy is there each day he wakes
Expressions of his love of life in every breath he takes
He could have been thrown away before he had a chance to say
Hey world, I am here and I have something to give
Hey world, I'm alive and I am wanting to live
He turned to lock the door as he wiped away a tear
The hopelessness of missing love, his adolescent fear
As he struggled for the strength to put the gun away
He found the courage and the hope to face another day
He could have been blown away before he had a chance to say
Down the corridor or life in between our death and birth
We may start to lose our way in the search to find our worth
Our value comes in the fact we live
Life is a gift only God can give