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.
Slow Down
Third Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That the road that I'm ons' goin' nowhere
Tell me to slow down if you know
That I'm goin' to fast for my own good.
Tell me to slow down
If the way is leadin' to a dead end
Tell me to slow down turn around
Let me change the way I'm goin'.
Oh, I don't want to let go
Of all the things that I know
Are keepin' me away from my life.
Oh, I don't want to slow down.
No, I don't want to look around,
But I can't seem to work it out,
So help me God.
Tell me to slow down if you see
That I'm runnin' to fast in the wrong race.
Tell me to slow down if you think
That I can't keep up with my own pace.
Tell me to slow down cause you know
If there's ever any question
Tell me to slow down, turn around
Let me change my direction.
Oh, I don't want to let go
Of all the things that I know
Are keepin' me away from my life.
Oh, I don't want to slow down.
No, I don't want to look around,
But I can't seem to work it out,
So help me God.
Oh tell me to slow down
Oh tell me to slow down now
Oh tell me to slow down
Oh, I don't want to let go
Of all the things that I know
Are keepin' me away from my life.
Oh, I don't want to slow down.
No, I don't want to look around,
But I can't seem to work it out,
So help me God.
Oh, I don't want to slow down.
No, I don't want to look around,
But I can't seem to work it out,
So help me God.
Tell me to slow down.
Tell me to slow down.
Tell me to slow down.
The lyrics of “Slow Down” by Third Day ft. Chris Daughtry depict a person who is struggling to keep up with the pace of life. The singer acknowledges that he is moving too fast in the wrong direction, and he needs someone to tell him to slow down before he reaches a dead end. He is aware that he needs to change direction and is open to advice from others. Despite this, the singer is reluctant to let go of the things he knows, even if they are keeping him from living his best life.
The repetition of the phrase “tell me to slow down” throughout the song emphasizes the importance of having people in our lives who can offer guidance when we need it. The lyrics suggest that we can't always figure things out on our own, and we need help to recognize when we're moving too fast or in the wrong direction.
Overall, the song encourages listeners to slow down and seek guidance from those around them, even if it means letting go of things they are familiar with.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me to slow down if you think That the road that I'm ons' goin' nowhere
If you believe that I am on a path to nowhere, advise me to slow down and reconsider my direction.
Tell me to slow down if you know That I'm goin' to fast for my own good.
If I am moving too quickly and putting myself at risk, urge me to slow down and proceed with caution.
Tell me to slow down If the way is leadin' to a dead end
If the path I am taking is leading to a dead end, let me know it is time to slow down and reevaluate my route.
Tell me to slow down turn around Let me change the way I'm goin'.
Encourage me to change course and find a new direction before it's too late.
Oh, I don't want to let go Of all the things that I know Are keepin' me away from my life.
I am afraid of leaving behind what I know and have become accustomed to, even if it is keeping me away from my true path.
Oh, I don't want to slow down. No, I don't want to look around, But I can't seem to work it out, So help me God.
I am resistant to the idea of slowing down, but I am struggling to figure out what changes I need to make. I need help and guidance from a higher power to find my way.
Tell me to slow down if you see That I'm runnin' to fast in the wrong race.
If I am moving too quickly and competing in the wrong areas, point this out to me and advise me to slow down and change my approach.
Tell me to slow down if you think That I can't keep up with my own pace.
If I am not capable of maintaining the pace I have set for myself, let me know that it is okay to slow down and recalibrate.
Tell me to slow down cause you know If there's ever any question
If there is any doubt or uncertainty about my path, instruct me to slow down so that I can gather more information and make more informed decisions.
Tell me to slow down, turn around Let me change my direction.
Guide me towards making changes in my life and encourage me to find a new way forward.
Oh tell me to slow down Oh tell me to slow down now Oh tell me to slow down
Repeatedly urge me to slow down and proceed with caution, as this advice is critical to my success and wellbeing.
Oh, I don't want to slow down. No, I don't want to look around, But I can't seem to work it out, So help me God.
Again, I am resistant to the idea of slowing down, but I am struggling to figure out what changes I need to make. I need help and guidance from a higher power to find my way.
Tell me to slow down. Tell me to slow down. Tell me to slow down.
Restate the importance of me slowing down and proceeding with caution, as this advice is essential to my success and wellbeing.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROGER ATHELSTON DRAKES, DIANE JOSEPH, PAUL POWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind