Stavesacre debuted in 1996 with the album Friction. The band's tough, hard rock sound and the very strong, distinctive voice and lyrical work of vocalist Mark Salomon immediately gained Stavesacre a very strong and devoted following. The band continued on with two more exceptionally well-received studio albums, Absolutes and Speakeasy, on Seattle-based Tooth & Nail Records. During this period of time the group was associated with the edgier side of the contemporary Christian music scene. But dissatisfaction with what the band saw as hypocrisy in that industry led to a well-publicized break from the scene in 2000. Stavesacre released a split EP with Denison Marrs in 2001 on Velvet Blue Music which featured three new songs and then released Collective, a retrospective best-of/outtakes collection, to complete their contract with Tooth & Nail.
In 2002 Stavesacre signed with the independent Nitro Records and released (stāvz'ā'kər), with producer David Bianco at the helm. The band's first three albums were produced by Bryan Carlstrom. Many fans were averse to the change in production values, and opinion was split regarding the band's shift to a more melodic, less aggressive sound, marking (stāvz'ā'kər) as a somewhat polarized release. Regardless, the change did little to bring Stavesacre into the mainstream limelight. The band then sought release from their contract, and went fully independent. 2002 saw the release of a live DVD of a show recorded in Dallas, Texas as well as the limited-edition four-song Bull Takes Fighter EP, which many dedicated fans hailed as a slight return to form but which was not widely known about.
In 2005 the band signed with Abacus Recordings, an imprint of Century Media Records, and recorded its fifth full-length studio album in Los Angeles with producer Matt Hyde. Titled How To Live With A Curse, it was released on April 18th, 2006. While, again, the album was seen by many of the remaining fans as a strong and triumphant return to the scene, it seemed that Stavesacre's luck had run out; the album failed to gain back much of the limelight in which the band had played during the 90s, and in early 2007 they announced on their Myspace blog that the band was finished.
However, Stavesacre would return to the studio with original guitarist Jeff Bellew (praised for the harder sound of Stavesacre's first two albums) to record the EP Against the Silence (released in 2013) and the independent album MCMXCV (released in 2017).
The name "Stavesacre" is derived from the stavesacre plant, which is poisonous and used as a parasiticide. Its seeds are known to induce vomiting.
Official Site: http://www.stavesacre.com
Grace
Stavesacre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Strip-mined wildly, spent it all
Leaving only stone
(Chorus)
But Grace, are You hangin' on for me?
Tell me it's true, You still do
When I was Your lover – passionate and bright as the stars
Left You for the least of whores
Broke Your precious heart
(Chorus)
"Oh, I've been standing right here, all along.
My dear, I've been standing right here
Ever as before
Oh, I want nothing more than you
Stay please, come back to My arms and
Rest your weary head,
Don't ever leave again,
Beloved.�?
(Chorus)
Grace
Grace –
"Oh, I've been standing right here all along.�?
The lyrics to Stavesacre's song Grace reflect on a relationship between the singer and God. The opening lines compare the singer to a mountain that was once strong with precious metals like silver and gold. However, the mountain is stripped-mined wildly and is left with only stone. This image is used to highlight the singer's own life, which was once rich and full. But the singer confesses to having spent it all, leaving nothing behind. This can be interpreted as a reflection on how the singer has lived their life without thought of the spiritual value.
The chorus shifts to a plea for grace from God. The singer asks if God is still waiting for them and tells God to come back around their way. This suggests that the singer feels disconnected from God and needs divine intervention to reconnect. The second verse recounts the singer's journey as a lover of God who was once passionate and bright as the stars. However, they left God for what is described as the least of whores, breaking God's heart. This can be interpreted as a reflection on how the singer's life has changed from a lover of God to someone who has forsaken him.
The final lines reveal that God is standing right beside the singer, waiting patiently for them to come back. The singer pleads with God to be taken back into their arms and to never leave again. The song ends with the repeated refrain of grace, which is a reminder that divine grace is available to all who seek it.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a mountain, strong with stone, silver and gold
In my prime, I was powerful and wealthy
Strip-mined wildly, spent it all
I took reckless and destructive actions that depleted my resources
Leaving only stone
All that remains of my former glory is an empty shell
But Grace, are You hangin' on for me?
Despite my failures and mistakes, I wonder if Grace is still available to me
Tell me it's true, You still do
I long for reassurance that Grace is still present and active in my life
Come back around this way
I hope and pray that Grace will once again cross my path
When I was Your lover – passionate and bright as the stars
There was a time when I was fully devoted to Grace with a fiery passion
Left You for the least of whores
However, I strayed from Grace and pursued something far less valuable and meaningful
Broke Your precious heart
My sin and rebellion grieved and wounded Grace deeply
"Oh, I've been standing right here, all along.
Despite my distance and waywardness, Grace has remained present and constant
My dear, I've been standing right here
Grace speaks with tender affection and familiarity towards me
Ever as before
Grace has not changed or wavered in their love and care for me
Oh, I want nothing more than you
Grace desires to be reconciled with me more than anything else in the world
Stay please, come back to My arms and
Grace beckons me to return and find rest in their embrace
Rest your weary head,
Grace acknowledges my struggles and invites me to find comfort and peace in their presence
Don't ever leave again,
Grace pleads with me to remain in their care and not wander away
Beloved.�?
Grace regards me with deep affection and endearment
Grace
This is the central message and theme of the song - Grace is available and eager to restore us
Grace –
Repeating the word emphasizes its importance and reassures us that it is always accessible
Contributed by Audrey M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.