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/
Mary
Petra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the world waits with you for your day
But for now the wind is cold and it's drear
And Bethlehem's still so far away
Do you remember the way you felt back then?
Joy and wonder filled your soul and when
The angel slipped away
You knew your life would never be the same
[Chorus]
And now you're traveling, traveling on a road to Bethlehem
Wandering thoughts fly away
If you knew the road that lay ahead of Him
Would you break down and cry?
Your child is born to die
Feel that hand of strength upon your own
A husband's love that guides along the way
And as his understanding has grown,
His hopes too are centered on that day
For do you remember the way he looked back then,
Pain and sorrow filled his eyes until when
The angel came to say
The Savior's birth was meant to be this way
Think back on that promise you received
For him in whom the prophets long believed
Now belongs to you, you've been chosen too
But He's the One Who's gonna shine
We call His name Jesus, Emmanuel
He'll save His people from sin and hell
And of His kingdom there will be no end
Petra's song "Mary's Song" is a beautiful and introspective ballad that seeks to place the listener in Mary's shoes as she travels to Bethlehem to give birth to Jesus. In the first verse, Mary is told to hold the blanket closer due to the cold wind and the fact that Bethlehem was still a long way off. We are then asked to remember how Mary must have felt when the angel appeared to her, filling her soul with joy and wonder. The chorus then describes Mary's journey to Bethlehem and asks us to imagine how she must have felt if she knew what her child's destiny entailed.
The second verse speaks of Joseph's love and understanding as he guides Mary on their journey, and the chorus reminds us of the enormity of the task that lay ahead for Mary and Joseph. The final verse asks Mary to think back on the promise she was given and reminds us that she was chosen to bear the Messiah, but that he was destined to die for the sins of the world. The song ends with a declaration of Jesus as Emmanuel, the savior who will save his people from sin and hell, and of his eternal kingdom.
Overall, "Mary's Song" is a poignant and reflective song that encourages us to put ourselves in Mary's shoes and consider the magnitude of the task she was given.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold that blanket closer Mary dear
The singer is advising Mary to hold her blanket closer to herself.
All the world waits with you for your day
The whole world is waiting for Mary's day.
But for now the wind is cold and it's drear
Currently, the wind is chilly and boring.
And Bethlehem's still so far away
Bethlehem is still a long way away.
Do you remember the way you felt back then?
The artist asks Mary if she remembers how she felt in the past.
Joy and wonder filled your soul and when
At that moment, Mary's soul was full of joy and amazement.
The angel slipped away
The angel went away.
You knew your life would never be the same
Mary knew that her life would never be the same again.
And now you're traveling, traveling on a road to Bethlehem
Mary is now on a journey to Bethlehem.
Wandering thoughts fly away
Mary's wandering thoughts go away.
If you knew the road that lay ahead of Him
If Mary knew what was going to happen, how Jesus was going to suffer, and what her and her family would have to go through.
Would you break down and cry?
The artist asks if Mary would break down and cry if she knew what was going to happen.
Your child is born to die
Mary's child is born to die.
Feel that hand of strength upon your own
The singer hints that Joseph's hand is upon Mary's, offering her strength.
A husband's love that guides along the way
Joseph's love is guiding Mary on this journey.
And as his understanding has grown
Joseph's understanding has grown.
His hopes too are centered on that day
Joseph's hopes are centered on that day.
For do you remember the way he looked back then,
The singer asks Mary if she remembers how Joseph looked back then.
Pain and sorrow filled his eyes until when
Joseph's eyes were filled with pain and sadness.
The angel came to say
The angel came to tell Joseph something.
The Savior's birth was meant to be this way
The artist tells that the savior's birth was supposed to happen the way it was supposed to.
Think back on that promise you received
The artist tells Mary to think back on the promise she received.
For him in whom the prophets long believed
The prophets had always believed in the child Mary was carrying.
Now belongs to you, you've been chosen too
Now, Mary has the child the prophets have been talking about, and she has been chosen.
But He's the One Who's gonna shine
The child, Jesus, is the one who is going to shine.
We call His name Jesus, Emmanuel
The child's name is Jesus, and he shall be called Emmanuel.
He'll save His people from sin and hell
Jesus will save his people from sin and hell.
And of His kingdom there will be no end
Jesus's kingdom will never end, it will always stay strong.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: STEVE FRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ingrid Trindade
Um dos mais lindos sons que já ouvi ❤
Marcos Alvarado
Don't follow HIM for pity, HE is almighty. Follow HIM for the love HE gave us
Daniel Dantas
This song makes me "break down and cry" every time I was listening to it. Same time I am filled with joy and hope from the scenes that this song brings to my mind. Awesome lyrics and music!
Daniel Rodríguez
Excelente balada
Daniel P. Clark
I'm surprised this song was never picked up by other groups/solos (other than Greg X Volz). It's a wonderful song. I came searching for it as I"m looking for Christmas songs that others may not have heard. I lost this album in a house fire in 2012 so Iove that it is on youtube. Thank you!
Murilo Machado de Almeida
nice, very nice... petra rocks... i can't stop listenning... the old ones are too cool... this album is one of the bests... and all the lyrics by bob hartman are cool... nice work you've done by posting this here =]
William Robinson
...from a simpler, more innocent time
drmjr78
I would consider this song to be "Mary Did You Know" Part one.
David Brown
Except this song says the answer. Yes, Mary knew.
drmjr78
This is a lesser known Petra song, written and sung by Rob Frazier, who was only with them for this one album. He would later write with Steve Camp, co-write the Kansas song "Play the Game Tonight" and record several solo albums.