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.
Still Listening
Third Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I told You before and I'll say it once more
Now and then I have my doubts
I'll never pretend to know what You are doing
It's true that You move in mysterious ways
I looked for You in
The fire and in the wind
I thought I'd hear You shout
But then I figured it out
That all along You're whispering to me
And I'm still listening
Just when I thought that I had caught a glimpse of who You are
You taught me a lesson I needed to learn
Right from the very start
I never will be the man that I quite need to be
But that's alright ‘cause You're enough for me
The song "Still Listening" by Third Day is a beautiful expression of a believer's faith journey. The lyrics are reflective of the struggle that even the most devout Christians sometimes face in their walk with God. The first verse speaks of a time when the singer thought he had God all figured out but now and then he has his doubts. This is something many believers can relate to since we often think we have a handle on our faith but as we grow, we realize how much we still have to learn. The singer acknowledges that he'll never fully understand what God is doing, but recognizes that God moves in mysterious ways.
The second verse details the singer's search for God in the fire and in the wind but not being able to find Him. It's a reference to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 when God speaks to him in a still, small voice. The singer then realizes that God has been whispering to him all along and he's still listening. This is a beautiful reminder that God speaks to us in different ways and we need to be attentive to His voice.
The chorus of the song is a declaration of the singer's faith that even though he's not perfect, he's still listening for God's voice to guide him. This song is a beautiful testament to the fact that faith is a journey and there are times when we'll doubt, but we need to keep listening for God's voice.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time when I thought that I had You figured out
I used to believe that I knew exactly who You were and how You worked
I told You before and I'll say it once more
I've said it to You before and I'll say it again
Now and then I have my doubts
Occasionally, I experience uncertainty and skepticism
I'll never pretend to know what You are doing
I won't act as if I understand Your intentions or plans
It's true that You move in mysterious ways
Admittedly, Your methods and actions can seem unfathomable and enigmatic
I looked for You in
I searched for You within
The fire and in the wind
In the midst of tumultuous circumstances and fleeting moments
But You weren't there as far as I could see
I didn't detect Your presence or intervention
I thought I'd hear You shout
I anticipated Your instructions to be loud and clear
But then I figured it out
But then I came to an understanding
That all along You're whispering to me
That all this time You've been speaking to me in a gentle, subtle way
And I'm still listening
And I'm still attentively heeding Your voice and guidance
Just when I thought that I had caught a glimpse of who You are
Just as I believed I had an understanding of Your nature
You taught me a lesson I needed to learn
You revealed a truth or principle that I required to comprehend
Right from the very start
From the very beginning
I never will be the man that I quite need to be
I'll never attain the level of character and righteousness that I aspire to
But that's alright ‘cause You're enough for me
But that's fine because You alone are all that I require
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: BRADLEY B. C. AVERY, DAVID CARR, JOHNNY MAC POWELL, MARK D. LEE, SAMUEL TAI ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind