Early years
Third Day began in 1991, when singer Mac Powell and guitarist Mark Lee finished studying at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. They had already played together in a garage band called Nuclear Hoedown, but now wanted to form a band where they could express their faith in God. Powell and Lee added a keyboard player named Billy Wilkins, and dedicated their time to write songs and perform around the state of Georgia.[1]
In 1992, they were playing at Lee's church the same night that drummer David Carr and bassist Tai Anderson were playing with a band called Bullard Family Singers. Their youth director asked the band to perform at their church. The group took along quickly and were invited to join the band.[2] The album that Carr produced would be released the next year under the title Long Time Forgotten.
In 1993, while dealing with their studies, the band started playing more aggressively around Atlanta and saved $3,000 to record a full-length album. Also, during this time, original member, Billy Wilkins, who was working as a school teacher, ended up leaving the band.[3] Still, Third Day continued to work on their first full-length album, recording at Furies Studios in Atlanta. The album was finally released in 1994 with 2,000 copies available.[4] In 1995, the band started looking for a second guitarist. They had heard Brad Avery play with singer Chris Carder and asked him to play with the band. After playing "Consuming Fire" during their first rehearsal, Avery officially joined the band.
As the band completed its line-up, they also started playing steadily around the South-east area. They also started playing at an Atlanta venue called the Strand Theatre. The management of the local decided to sign the band to a new independent record label called Gray Dot Records. That same year, the band released the album Third Day, which ended up selling 20,000 copies. Shortly after, Reunion Records signed the band to a multi-album deal.[5]
International Success
In 1998, the band started working on their next project titled Time under the production of Monroe James. They had compiled around 30 songs to choose from during the last year, and ended up choosing only ten. The album was also nominated for a Grammy and won another Dove Award for the band. Some of the other songs the band recorded, but were left out can be found in the EP Southern Tracks.[8] Also, during the band's live shows, the worship part was becoming more "powerful", which prompted them to release an album exclusively of worship songs, titled Offerings: A Worship Album. The album was recorded in about a week, and they followed it with a tour alongside Jennifer Knapp. They also collaborated in the project called City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise.[9]
In 2001, the band played in Australia and New Zealand on the heels of the success of the Offerings album. They continued to tour in the States, and recorded one of their concerts in Atlanta to be released as their first DVD, The Offerings Experience. The concert was held at the Hi-Fi Buys Ampitheatre with an attendance of close to 15,000 people. That same year, the band won a total of five Dove Awards as well as their first Grammy. They followed that year with the release of Come Together which ended up winning two Dove Awards and one more Grammy. The album was certified gold the next year, along with Time.[10][11] In 2003, they also released a follow-up to their hit Offerings titled Offerings II: All I Have to Give.
The band appeared in the 2002 film "Joshua", the movie version of the Joseph Girzone novel of the same name. The Third Day song "My Hope is You" was included in the Joshua soundtrack album.
Recent Years
In 2004, the band released their next album, Wire, and toured the States with tobyMac and Warren Barfield. In June of the same year, the band traveled to Europe for a two-week tour. Upon returning, the band recorded a concert at Louisville which ended up as their next project, Live Wire, released later that year. During that year, they also collaborated on the soundtrack for Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ, they played at the Republican National Convention, and were featured in the show 60 Minutes.[12] In January 2007, the band played one night each in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney, Australia.[13]
Their next album, Wherever You Are, debuted on the Billboard 200 at #8.[14] It also won the band their third Grammy. They have followed it with the holiday album, Christmas Offerings in 2006, and with a compilation of their hits titled Chronology in 2007. On February 28th, 2008, Third Day released a statement announcing Brad Avery's departure from the band after 13 years and over 1000 concerts.
Their best album to date entitled Revelation was released July 29, 2008.
Third Day released Miracle on November 6, 2012. The band toured Miracle on the Miracle Tour with artists Colton Dixon and Josh Wilson as their opening acts, commencing on February 21, 2013 in Fairfax, Virginia and concluding on May 19, 2014 in Orlando, Florida.
Third Day released the worship album Lead Us Back: Songs of Worship on March 3, 2015. The album, produced by the duo The Sound Kids, composed of Jonny Macintosh and JT Daly, peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart, No. 5 on the Top Rock Albums chart[27] and No. 13 on the Digital Albums chart. The album has had one single, "Soul on Fire", that spent 19 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at No. 2 on Hot Christian Songs and No. 3 on Christian Digital Songs.
Carry Me Home
Third Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My bones are tired
And I can't believe
I've fallen down this far
My back is breaking
My mouth is dry
I pray You'll come
Too many days I've gone through the valley
Too many nights I've fallen down
Every time I blindly stumble
You pick me off the ground
And carry me home
My will is crumbling
On every side
I know You haven't left me here to die
My life is shaking and trembling
I'm praying that You'll come
And cover me
Too many days I've gone through the valley
Too many nights I've fallen down
Every time I blindly stumble
You pick me off the ground
And carry me home
My heart is like a stone
But you can break it open...
My will is broken
Your will be done
I'll follow You no matter what may come
Too many days I've gone through the valley
Too many nights I've fallen down
Every time I blindly stumble
You pick me off the ground and carry me home
The song "Carry Me Home" by Third Day is a cry of desperation to God. The lyrics describe a person who is worn out and broken, whether physically or emotionally. The lines "My heart is aching/ My bones are tired" and "My back is breaking/ My mouth is dry" convey the singer's exhaustion and helplessness. The chorus, however, brings a glimmer of hope: "Every time I blindly stumble/ You pick me off the ground/ And carry me home." Here, the singer acknowledges that they have gone through tough times before and have stumbled, but God has always been there to help them get back up and take them home.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics change slightly from asking God to come and rescue to accepting God's will and following Him no matter what may come. The line "My will is broken/ Your will be done/ I'll follow You no matter what may come" shows that the singer understands that God is in control, and while they may not always understand the circumstances they find themselves in, they can trust that God has a plan.
Overall, "Carry Me Home" is a song of vulnerability and trust. It acknowledges the struggles of life but also the comfort and strength that can be found in faith.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is aching
I am feeling immense emotional pain and distress
My bones are tired
I am physically exhausted and drained
And I can't believe
I am in a state of disbelief and shock
I've fallen down this far
I have hit rock bottom and feel helpless
My back is breaking
I am bearing a heavy burden that is causing me physical pain
My mouth is dry
I am anxious and tense, causing me physical symptoms
I pray You'll come
I plead for divine intervention and help
And rescue me tonight
I am desperately seeking to be saved and delivered from my situation
Too many days I've gone through the valley
I have experienced a prolonged period of struggle and hardship
Too many nights I've fallen down
I have faced numerous setbacks and failures
Every time I blindly stumble
I make mistakes or errors without foresight or awareness
You pick me off the ground
God lifts me up and helps me recover from my mistakes
And carry me home
God guides me to a place of safety and comfort
My will is crumbling
I am losing my sense of purpose and direction
On every side
From all angles and aspects of my life
I know You haven't left me here to die
I have faith that God will not abandon me in my time of need
My life is shaking and trembling
I am experiencing chaos and instability in my life
I'm praying that You'll come
I am requesting divine intervention and assistance
And cover me
I am seeking protection and shelter from harm
My heart is like a stone
I am emotionally hardened and closed off
But you can break it open...
God has the power to break down my emotional barriers
My will is broken
I have surrendered my own desires and plans to God
Your will be done
I trust in God's plan and purpose for my life
I'll follow You no matter what may come
I am committed to following God's path for my life, whatever challenges may arise
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BRADLEY B. C. AVERY, DAVID CARR, JOHNNY MAC POWELL, MARK D. LEE, SAMUEL TAI ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind