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.
Spirit
Third Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guide us by Your presence
How we need You, God
Oh, Lord, lead us to Your kingdom
Bring us back to freedom
How we need You, God
How we need You, God
Oh, Lord, fill us with Your spirit
Guide us by Your presence
How we need You, God
Oh Lord, we will sing Your praises
You are our salvation
Be our strength and song
How we need You, God
How we need You, God
How we need You, God
How we need You, God
The lyrics to "Spirit" by Third Day, express a yearning for the presence of God in the life of the singer. The chorus repeats the plea "Oh Lord, fill us with Your spirit, guide us by Your presence, how we need You, God." This chorus is a cry for help and an acknowledgement that the singer is unable to guide themselves without the help of God. Through the lyrics, the singer is asking God to lead them to His kingdom, bring them back to freedom, and to be their strength and song.
The verses continue with the theme of dependence on God and the need for His presence. The first verse expresses a desire for God to fill us with His spirit and guide us by His presence. The second verse leads into a focus on the kingdom of God, asking for guidance to it and a return to freedom. The third verse expands on the previous verses’ dependence and need- singing God’s praises, acknowledging Him as their salvation and source of strength.
The song itself is reflective of the style that Third Day has become known for - Christian rock music. It’s a piano-driven song with a simple melody that allows the lyrics to shine through. The song was included in their album "Revelation" which was released in 2008.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Lord, fill us with Your spirit
We ask that You fill us with Your divine power and guidance
Guide us by Your presence
Please lead us by Your continuous and unmistakable presence
How we need You, God
We recognize and acknowledge our immense need for You, God
Oh, Lord, lead us to Your kingdom
Show us the path to Your kingdom, and help us stay on it
Bring us back to freedom
Free us from the burdens of sin and bring us back to the freedom that comes from following You
Oh, Lord, fill us with Your spirit
Again, we ask that You fill us with Your divine power and guidance
Oh Lord, we will sing Your praises
We will joyfully and gratefully express our admiration and appreciation for You, Lord
You are our salvation
You are the source of our redemption and deliverance
Be our strength and song
Please be our source of encouragement, courage, and inspiration
How we need You, God
Once more, we acknowledge our profound need for You, God
How we need You, God
We reiterate our utter and complete need for You, God
How we need You, God
Once again, we emphasize our absolute need for You, God
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JUSTIN THOMAS DALY, SAMUEL TAI ANDERSON, DAVID CARR, MARK D. LEE, JOHNNY MAC POWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind