Well-crafted southern rock with substance. Third Day's music mixes faith w… Read Full Bio ↴Well-crafted southern rock with substance. Third Day's music mixes faith with the pure energy of rock n' roll to give fans a non-watered down way to express their belief. Members: Mac Powell (vocals/guitar) , Mark Lee (guitar), Tai Anderson (bass) and David Carr (drums).

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.

Have Mercy
Third Day Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My will won't break, it barely bends
Same old sinner, the same old sin
On my knees to plead again
Confessions trial, where to begin?

Have mercy, on me a sinning man
Lord have mercy, on me a sinning man

If it's true that the wages of sin is death
Then I've earned quite enough to quit
The reward I deserve I'd surely get
Were it not for you to pay my debt

Oh, I don't think I can take this further
Oh, if it's not one thing it's another

Overall Meaning

The song "Have Mercy" by Third Day is all about redemption, salvation, and the human condition of sin. The opening lines, "My will won't break, it barely bends / Same old sinner, the same old sin," acknowledge the reality that, no matter how hard we try, we are all prone to sin and temptation. Yet, despite our imperfections, we are urged to keep pleading to God for mercy and forgiveness. The lines "On my knees to plead again / Confessions trial, where to begin?" reveal the singer's inner struggle as he faces his mistakes and tries to make amends.

The chorus emphasizes the plea for mercy through repetition: "Have mercy, on me a sinning man / Lord have mercy, on me a sinning man." The song then turns to the biblical concept of the wages of sin, saying that the singer has earned enough punishment to "quit" if it weren't for God's grace. The lines "The reward I deserve I'd surely get / Were it not for you to pay my debt" suggest that it is only through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we can be saved from eternal separation from God.

The final lines "Oh, I don't think I can take this further / Oh, if it's not one thing it's another" capture the ongoing struggle that is often part of the Christian journey. Despite our desire to do right, there are always challenges and obstacles that can make us feel defeated. Yet, the song reminds us that even in these moments, we can turn to God and ask for His mercy.

Line by Line Meaning

My will won't break, it barely bends
While I may be stubborn, I am still able to admit my faults.

Same old sinner, the same old sin
Despite my efforts to change, I continue to commit the same sins.

On my knees to plead again
I am humbling myself and asking for forgiveness once more.

Confessions trial, where to begin?
I am struggling to articulate all of my sins and seek forgiveness for each one.

Have mercy, on me a sinning man
I am acknowledging my wrongdoings and begging for forgiveness from God.

Lord have mercy, on me a sinning man
I recognize that I am in desperate need of God's compassion and forgiveness.

If it's true that the wages of sin is death
I acknowledge that sin has serious consequences.

Then I've earned quite enough to quit
I have sinned enough for God to give up on me, but I still ask for mercy.

The reward I deserve I'd surely get
I know that I deserve punishment for my sins.

Were it not for you to pay my debt
However, I believe that God's love and sacrifice allows me to be forgiven and saved from my sins.

Oh, I don't think I can take this further
I am overwhelmed by the gravity of my mistakes and the task of seeking forgiveness.

Oh, if it's not one thing it's another
I feel as though I am always struggling with sin and temptation, and it seems like there is always more to confess.

Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY MAC POWELL, SAMUEL TAI ANDERSON, BRADLEY B. C. AVERY, DAVID CARR, MARK D. LEE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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