1) The Tractor… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name, including:
1) The Tractors was an American country rock band formed in Tulsa in 1988 and headed by guitarist Steve Ripley (1950-2019).
2) The Tractors was a short-lived British indie band from Liverpool active in the second half of the 1980s.
1) The Tractors was an American country rock band formed in Tulsa in 1988 and headed by guitarist Steve Ripley (1950-2019).
Subsequently a loosely associated group of musicians headed by Ripley, under the band's original lineup the band was signed to Arista Records in 1994, releasing their self-titled debut album that year. The album featured the single "Baby Likes to Rock It" and became the fastest-selling debut album from a country group to go platinum. A Christmas album called Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas soon followed. The band was nominated for two Grammy Awards and won the Country Weekly 1995 Golden Pick Award for Favorite New Group. Their true follow-up, Farmers in a Changing World, was released in 1998.
Since then, most of the band's original members moved on to separate projects, although they often collaborated with Ripley on The Tractors' subsequent recordings.
Ripley released the next album, Fast Girl, with several other musicians, in 2001 on Audium Entertainment . After Fast Girl, The Tractors left Audium and formed their own label, Boy Rocking Records. In 2009 "Trade Union" was released on E1.
2) The Tractors was a short-lived British indie/alternative band from the suburbs of Liverpool. They were active in the second half of the 1980s.
The Shelter
The Tractors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And no rooms in town
Nowhere for spendin' the night
Except and old shed
With hay for a bed
And Mary she says that's all right
Joseph don't like it
What if this is the night she gives birth
But when he has nothin'
A man comes to see
Just how much a little is worth
The trip's been a hard one
They crossed the courtyard
To a barn at the back of the Inn
They lay down to sleep
Among cattle and sheep
And wait for this night to begin
Now she sees he's worried
With love in her eyes
She reaches out and touches his face
She says a barn is a mansion
If its walls shelter love
For some reason God has chosen this place
The baby's arrival
Fills up the night
And the light from a beautiful star
Lights up the darkness
So gloriously bright
And shines down on the world near and far
And directly below it
As if on a string
This shelter of such humble design
Givin' warmth and protection
To the child Jesus Christ
Our Lord and Savior, King of mankind
The song "The Shelter" by The Tractors talks about the arrival of Jesus Christ in a manger, as narrated in the Bible. The song starts by painting a picture of difficult circumstances, with snow on the ground and no place to stay in town, except for an old shed. Joseph worries about Mary’s safety, given that she is with child, and fears that she may give birth in such uncertain conditions. However, the couple is surprised when a man comes and offers them the barn at the back of the inn. Mary, despite the rough conditions, reassures Joseph that God has chosen this place for a reason.
As the night progresses, the baby arrives and a beautiful star lights up the darkness, shining on the world near and far. The shelter, which seemed so humble and small, takes on a new significance as it provides warmth and protection to the child who would become our Lord and Savior, King of mankind.
The song creates a contrast between the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth and His majesty and power as the ruler of the world. It showcases the power of love and faith, that no matter how difficult the circumstances may be, God can still use it for His purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
There's snow on the ground
The weather is cold and there is snow on the ground.
And no rooms in town
There are no available rooms in the town.
Nowhere for spendin' the night
There is no place to stay for the night.
Except an old shed
The only available place to stay is an old shed.
With hay for a bed
The only thing to sleep on is hay.
And Mary she says that's all right
Mary accepts and is okay with staying in the shed with the hay.
Joseph don't like it
Joseph is not happy with the situation.
His Mary's with child
Joseph's wife Mary is pregnant.
What if this is the night she gives birth
Joseph is concerned that Mary could give birth that night.
But when he has nothin'
Joseph has nothing to offer or give.
A man comes to see
A man arrives to visit.
Just how much a little is worth
The visitor teaches Joseph that a little can be worth a lot.
The trip's been a hard one
The journey to get there has been difficult.
They crossed the courtyard
They walked across the courtyard.
To a barn at the back of the Inn
They went to a barn behind an Inn.
They lay down to sleep
They went to sleep.
Among cattle and sheep
They slept among the cattle and sheep in the barn.
And wait for this night to begin
They waited for the night to progress.
Now she sees he's worried
Mary notices that Joseph is worried.
With love in her eyes
Mary looks at Joseph with love in her eyes.
She reaches out and touches his face
Mary touches Joseph's face.
She says a barn is a mansion
Mary explains that the barn can be seen as a grand home.
If its walls shelter love
If the barn provides love and shelter.
For some reason God has chosen this place
God has made it so that they are in this place for a reason.
The baby's arrival
The baby is born.
Fills up the night
The birth brightens up the night.
And the light from a beautiful star
A beautiful star illuminates the night.
Lights up the darkness
The star brings light to the darkness.
So gloriously bright
The star shines very brightly.
And shines down on the world near and far
The star illuminates the world both close and far away.
And directly below it
Directly under the star.
As if on a string
As if it was suspended by a string.
This shelter of such humble design
This humble shelter.
Givin' warmth and protection
Providing warmth and protection.
To the child Jesus Christ
Providing warmth and protection to baby Jesus.
Our Lord and Savior, King of mankind
Jesus Christ is recognized as the Lord, Savior, and King of mankind.
Lyrics © WILEY BOY MUSIC
Written by: J.W. HUNT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
aniger33334
The song deserves more popularity and airplay.