Career
Green was born in Portland, Oregon to missionary parents, Charles and Jo Green. He is one of six siblings who spent much of his early life in Argentina. He studied Music at Grand Canyon University, graduating in 1976. He originally broke into Christian music with the Mobile, Alabama based youth worship group Truth. He also sang backup vocals and played bass with Sandi Patti, White Heart and the Gaither Vocal Band. In 1982, he joined the Christian rock band White Heart as a vocalist. But a difference in ministry vision accompanied by a confrontation with his brother, Randy, led to a spiritual renewal in Steve's life in 1983. He signed a solo contract with Sparrow Records, and his self-titled debut album appeared in 1984. In the same year, he established Steve Green Ministries.
His break out year came in 1985 with the release of He Holds The Keys. The album garnered Green a nomination and win as Male Vocalist of the Year in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) category. The following year, 1986, saw the release of two recordings, "For God And God Alone," and a high church style worship album entitled "A Mighty Fortress." The following year saw the release of his first Christmas recording, "Joy To The World." In early 1988, he released an album dedicated to his parents called "Find Us Faithful." As the 1980s came to an end, many of Green's songs became recognized standards including "People Need The Lord" and "Broken And Spilled Out." He was often considered the male version of Sandi Patti, using many of the same songwriters and styles as well as the traditional ending the song on a (literal) high note. Green also contributed background vocals to Patti's 1986 hit, "Let There Be Praise."
Green was one of the first artists to be involved with Promise Keepers, performing at their inaugural event at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado in July 1993 before 50,000 men. His song "Answer The Call" was inspired by the event and another song, "O Men of God Arise," embodies the Promise Keeper mentality.
Green recorded "The Mission" in 1989 and continued his success with "We Believe" in 1991. As the early 1990s direction of Christian music changed to a more rock oriented format, Green returned to traditional roots by releasing an album of hymns in 1992. Yet Green switched styles in 1994 on his "Where Mercy Begins" album. He also received the first of two career boosts due to outside events.
On September 9, 1994, a US Air jet crashed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing all aboard. One passenger was an up and coming Christian singer named Kirk Lynn. Lynn has just recorded Green's song "As We Sail To Heaven's Shore" from the 1988 "Find Us Faithful" album. Only a rough cut played at the memorial service for the passengers, grieving family members were told where to find the original song by Green, which boosted album sales for the older recording.
Green's style change continued on his 1996 recording, "The Letter." He was also instrumental in attempting to set up an accountability group for Christian artists following the adultery scandals of Michael English, Marabeth Jordan, and Sandi Patty as well as the Mike Warnke debacle. He was helped in this endeavor by Steve Camp, Wes King, and Michael W. Smith. That year also saw the release of his second Christmas album, "The First Noel."
Green changed focus again in 1998 by declaring he would only record songs that honor the Lord - songs that he could be satisfied with should it be his last recording. That year saw the release of "The Faithful" and 2000 saw the release of a devotional song album entitled "Morning Light." Two years later Green released "Woven In Time" and again found himself receiving a career boost.
Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
Green was a personal friend of Space Shuttle Columbia commander Rick Husband, who was killed along with six others in the February 2003 disintegration during reentry. Green was interviewed by CNN and his song "God Of Wonders" got a boost from the unexpected publicity. He released another album in 2005.
Green's sister is married to Dr. Mark Bailey, president of the evangelical Dallas Theological Seminary, and he helped the seminary celebrate its eightieth anniversary in April 2004. He has also written a thirty day devotional titled, "The Power of the Cross" and has recorded numerous children's videos and songs.
His bilingual abilities have seen the release of two Spanish CDs in the United States.
He is married to Marijean Green, who has testified to her own struggle with bulimia and they have two children, Summer (b. 1984) and Josiah (b. 1986).
Green has expanded his musical ministry to include videos and James Dobson's Focus on the Family.
Guard Your Heart
Steve Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
What appears to be harmless glance?
Can turn to romance and homes are divided
Feelings that should never have been awakened within
Guard your heart, guard your heart
Don't trade it for treasure, don't give it away
Guard your heart, guard your heart
As a payment for pleasure, it's high price to pay
For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear
Guard your heart
The human heart is easily swayed
And often betrayed at the hand of emotion
You dare not leave the outcome to chance
You must choose in advance
Or live with the agony
Such needless tragedy
Guard your heart, guard your heart
Don't trade it for treasure, don't give it away
Guard your heart, guard your heart
As a payment for pleasure, it's high price to pay
Guard your heart, guard your heart
Don't trade it for treasure, don't give it away
Guard your heart, guard your heart
As a payment for pleasure, it's high price to pay
For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear
Guard your heart
For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear
Guard your heart
The song "Guard Your Heart" by Steve Green talks about the importance of guarding your heart against the negative influences around you. The lyrics specifically caution against what we see with our eyes because what appears to be harmless can turn out to be disastrous. The song talks about the consequences of letting our emotions take over and allowing our hearts to be swayed easily. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Guard your heart" and reminds us not to trade it for treasure or pleasure, as it comes at a high price.
The first verse of the song talks about the Father above looking down in love, reminding us that even though we may feel no one is monitoring our actions, there is a higher power watching over us. The second verse stresses the importance of choosing in advance and not leaving the outcome to chance. The bridge of the song is a plea to listeners to guard their hearts so that they can remain sincere with a clear conscience.
Overall, the song is a call to action for listeners to be mindful of what they let into their hearts, and to take responsibility for their actions and emotions in order to avoid needless tragedies.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
Be cautious of what you lay your eyes on as it may lead to dire consequences.
For the Father up above is looking down in love
God is keeping a watchful eye over us, and He cares about our well-being.
What appears to be harmless glance?
Something that seems harmless might lead to disaster.
Can turn to romance and homes are divided
A mere glance could cause a romantic feeling that could break families apart.
Feelings that should never have been awakened within
Emotions that should not have been stirred up, leading to trouble.
Tearing the heart in two, listen, I beg of you
Breaking one's heart in two, pleading with them to be careful.
Guard your heart, guard your heart
Protect your heart and your emotions from harm.
Don't trade it for treasure, don't give it away
Do not exchange your heart for material or temporary gain.
As a payment for pleasure, it's high price to pay
Giving away your heart for fleeting pleasure has a significant long-term cost.
The human heart is easily swayed
The heart is fragile and can be affected by external factors.
And often betrayed at the hand of emotion
The heart can be misled by overwhelming emotions and end up causing harm.
You dare not leave the outcome to chance
You cannot risk fate when it comes to matters of the heart.
You must choose in advance
You must choose carefully preemptively to avoid undesirable outcomes.
Such needless tragedy
The devastating effects that can be easily avoided.
For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear
For someone with good intentions and a clear conscience.
Contributed by Gabriella B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.