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.
Mountain Of God
Third Day Lyrics
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Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me
And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You
Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God
As I travel on the road
That You have lead me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I confess from time to time
I lose my way
But You are always there
To bring me back again
Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me
(After final Chorus)
I thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But, You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me.
In this song, Third Day shares about the journey of life with its ups and downs. The lyrics describe a personal experience of feeling lost and broken, but realizing that God was always there, even when they didn't realize it. The song highlights the importance of relying on God during difficult times and trusting Him to guide us through the challenges of life. The singer confesses that there are times when they lose their way but acknowledges that God is there to help them find their way back. The chorus reminds us that although the journey may be difficult, God goes before us and will help us make it to the mountaintop.
The song's tone is one of reflection and gratitude as the singer looks back and acknowledges God's presence through their life's journey. The lyrics also emphasize the importance of finding meaning and purpose in our struggles and realizing that God uses them to lead us to the mountaintop, where we can experience His presence and love. The song encourages listeners to trust in God's plans and to know that He is always with us, even in our darkest moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Thought that I was all alone
I believed that I was completely isolated
Broken and afraid
I was emotionally shattered and terrified
But You were there with me
You were present and supportive with me
Yes, You were there with me
I can confirm that you were with me
And I didn't even know
I was unaware of my current state
That I had lost my way
I was lost and directionless
But You were there with me
But you were with me and guiding me
Yes, You were there with me
I can confirm that you were with me
'Til You opened up my eyes
Until you revealed the truth to me
I never knew
I was oblivious
That I couldn't ever make it
That I was unable to succeed
Without You
Without your help
Even though the journey's long
Despite the journey being lengthy
And I know the road is hard
And I am aware that the road is challenging
Well, the One who's gone before me
The person who has traveled before me
He will help me carry on
Will provide me the strength to keep going
After all that I've been through
Despite all the hardships I have faced
Now I realize the truth
I now comprehend the reality
That I must go through the valley
I need to endure the painful moments
To stand upon the mountain of God
To attain the higher purpose of fulfilling God's plan
As I travel on the road
As I progress on my journey
That You have lead me down
That you have shown me the way
You are here with me
You are present with me
Yes, You are here with me
I am acknowledging your presence
I have need for nothing more
I don't require anything additional
Oh, now that I have found
Now that I have discovered the truth
That You are here with me
I have realized that you are here with me
I confess from time to time
I admit that occasionally
I lose my way
I become misguided
But You are always there
However, you are always present
To bring me back again
To help me get back on track
Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
Occasionally, I reflect on where I started
And the things I've left behind
And the things I have abandoned
But of all I've had, what I possessed
But despite all of my possessions
Nothing can quite compare
Nothing can fully match
With what's in front of me
With what is yet to come
I thought that I was all alone
I believed that I was completely isolated
Broken and afraid
I was emotionally shattered and terrified
But, You are here with me
However, I now realize that you are with me
Yes, You are here with me.
I can confirm your presence with me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: E. BROWN BANNISTER, JOHNNY MAC POWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind