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.
Nothing Compares
Third Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've seen all the signs
Witnessed all the glory
Tasted all that's fine
Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Lord
Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Lord
Wasting all their time
Building up their riches
For a life that's fine
I find myself just living for today
â??Cause I don't know what
Tomorrow's gonna bring
So no matter if I rise or fall
I'll never be alone, oh no
The lyrics of "Nothing Compares" by Third Day are a reflection of the lead singer's beautiful relationship with God. The opening line "I've heard all the stories, I've seen all the signs, witnessed all the glory, tasted all that's fine" means that the singer has experienced a lot of things in his life, both good and bad, and has spent his time living, observing, and exploring the wonders of life.
However, the chorus "nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Lord" indicates that despite all that he has seen and experienced, his relationship with God supersedes it all. This is because the spiritual relationship between a human and God is far more powerful and beautiful than anything else in this world.
The verse "I see all the people, wasting all their time, building up their riches, for a life that's fine" signifies the singer's observation of people who spend their time after worldly riches and material things rather than what truly sustains humans and their soul - spiritual and moral values. The next verse "I find myself just living for today, cause I don't know what tomorrow's gonna bring" reflects the singer's understanding of the unpredictability of life and how important it is to live in the moment and appreciate each day as it comes.
Line by Line Meaning
I've heard all the stories
I have listened to all the tales that people have shared.
I've seen all the signs
I have observed and understood all the signs.
Witnessed all the glory
I have witnessed each glorious moment of life.
Tasted all that's fine
I have experienced all that is pleasurable in life.
Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Lord
Knowing and connecting with God is the ultimate source of joy and fulfillment.
I see all the people
I observe how people lead their lives.
Wasting all their time
People are spending their time in futile and meaningless pursuits.
Building up their riches
They are amassing wealth and possessions to find happiness.
For a life that's fine
They seek worldly pleasures to have a comfortable life.
I find myself just living for today
I realize that life is unpredictable, and so I live in the present moment.
Cause I don't know what Tomorrow's gonna bring
I am unaware of what future holds for me, and so I enjoy each day.
So no matter if I rise or fall
Regardless of success or setbacks, I stay connected with God.
I'll never be alone, oh no
As long as I have faith, I will never be alone and will always have divine support.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, 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