Well-crafted southern rock with substance. Third Day's music mixes faith w… Read Full Bio ↴Well-crafted southern rock with substance. Third Day's music mixes faith with the pure energy of rock n' roll to give fans a non-watered down way to express their belief. Members: Mac Powell (vocals/guitar) , Mark Lee (guitar), Tai Anderson (bass) and David Carr (drums).

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.

What Child Is This?
Third Day Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping

This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud

The Babe, the Son of Mary

Nails and spears shall pierce Him through
The Cross be borne for me, for you
Hail, hail the Word made flesh
The Babe, the Son of Mary

This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh
Come peasant, king to own Him
The king of kings salvation brings
Let loving hearts enthrone Him

This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary

This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary

The Babe, the Son of Mary
The Babe, the Son of Mary

Overall Meaning

The song 'What Child Is This' recounts the biblical story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The first verse suggests a peaceful and serene moment in time, with the baby Jesus safely asleep on Mary's lap while the shepherds keep watch over him. The second verse, however, echoes more somber tones as it foretells of the crucifixion and the immense suffering that Jesus would endure for the sins of humanity. This transition from joyful celebration to somber contemplation is a classic theme in Christmas music, and it is particularly poignant in this song. The final verse returns us to the present moment, inviting everyone from peasants to kings to bring gifts to the newborn savior, who is the king of kings.

The song has a reflective and meditative feel to it, evoking a sense of awe and wonder at the miraculous event that brought Jesus into the world. The lyrics manage to capture the essence of the Christmas story in just a few verses, reminding us of the joy, sacrifice, and salvation that are at the heart of the Christian religion.

Line by Line Meaning

What child is this who, laid to rest
Who is this child that is lying down to rest

On Mary's lap is sleeping
The child is sleeping on Mary's lap

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
The angels are greeting the child with sweet hymns

While shepherds watch are keeping
The shepherds are watching the child and keeping guard

This, this is Christ the King
This is Jesus, who is the King

Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing
The angels sing for Him and the shepherds guard Him

Haste, haste to bring Him laud
Hurry, hurry, let us give Him our praise

The Babe, the Son of Mary
The baby is the son of Mary

Nails and spears shall pierce Him through
He will be pierced with nails and spears

The Cross be borne for me, for you
He will carry His cross for us, for you and me

Hail, hail the Word made flesh
Hail to Jesus, the Word made flesh

The Babe, the Son of Mary
The baby is the son of Mary

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh
Let us bring Him presents, incense, gold and myrrh

Come peasant, king to own Him
Peasants and kings should both accept Him as their own

The king of kings salvation brings
The king of kings brings salvation

Let loving hearts enthrone Him
Let us enthrone Him with our love

This, this is Christ the King
This is Jesus, who is the King

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
The angels sing for Him and the shepherds guard Him

Haste, haste to bring Him laud
Hurry, hurry, let us give Him our praise

The Babe, the Son of Mary
The baby is the son of Mary

This, this is Christ the King
This is Jesus, who is the King

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
The angels sing for Him and the shepherds guard Him

Haste, haste to bring Him laud
Hurry, hurry, let us give Him our praise

The Babe, the Son of Mary
The baby is the son of Mary

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Tai Anderson, Mark Lee, David Carr, Mac Powell, Brad Avery

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@joifulstories

3y↑2

LYRICS:

What child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping
This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary

Nails and spears shall pierce Him through
The Cross be borne for me, for you
Hail, hail the Word made flesh
The Babe, the Son of Mary
This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh
Come peasant, king to own Him
The king of kings salvation brings
Let loving hearts enthrone Him
This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary

This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary
The Babe, the Son of Mary
The Babe, the Son of Mary

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Tai Anderson / Mark Lee / David Carr / Mac Powell / Brad Avery
What Child Is This? lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

All comments from YouTube:

@peterdeschenes3466

5y↑18

Absolutely love Third Days rendition of this song, Mac does an awesome job with the vocals on this and the band does an outstanding job really brining the song together! "Hail, Hail the Word made flesh, the Babe, the Son of Mary!" Merry Christmas all!