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.
You Are Not Alone
Third Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How's it make you feel to know
That you're not alone
Even when you cry
I will hold you tight
And say don't you be afraid
Toss your cares away
There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you
And I'll keep all the promises I have ever made
I am going to be with you
Here and everywhere
Do you know that you're not alone
And I will go ahead of you
What have you to fear
Do you know that you're not alone
You are not alone
Whoa no
I am always here
Yes I hear your prayer to me
And if you believe
That you can do anything
I will give you all the strength
Take you by the hand
And I'll lead you all the way
Toss your cares away
Leave your burdens on me
There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you
And I'll keep all the promises I have ever made
I am going to be with you
Here and everywhere
Do you know that you're not alone
And I will go ahead of you
What have you to fear
Do you know that you're not alone
You are not alone
Whoa no you are not alone (x3)
I am going to be with you
Here and everywhere
Do you know that you're not alone
And I will go ahead of you
What have you to fear
Do you know that you're not alone
You are not alone
The song You Are Not Alone by Third Day is a comforting message to someone who may be going through a difficult time or feeling isolated. The lyrics convey the message that the singer is always there for the listener, holding them tight and telling them not to be afraid. The refrain "You are not alone" repeats throughout the song as a reminder that the listener is not alone in their struggles.
The song goes on to say that the singer will go ahead of the listener, taking them by the hand and leading them all the way. The listener is encouraged to leave their burdens and cares with the singer, who promises to keep all the promises he has ever made. The song ends with a declaration that the listener is not alone, and that the singer will be with them everywhere they go.
Overall, the song You Are Not Alone is a comforting and reassuring message of love and support. It reminds the listener that no matter what they may be going through, they have someone who cares for them and is there to help.
Line by Line Meaning
I am always here
I will always be here for you, no matter what.
How's it make you feel to know
How does it make you feel to know that you have someone who cares for you and will always be there for you?
That you're not alone
You are not alone in this world. I am here with you.
Even when you cry
Even when you are sad and crying, I will be there to comfort you.
I will hold you tight
I will hug you tightly and let you know that I am there for you.
And say don't you be afraid
I will speak words of comfort and reassurance to you, telling you that you don't need to be afraid.
Toss your cares away
Give me your worries and burdens so that you can be free of them.
Leave your burdens on me
Let go of your stresses and concerns and trust that I will take care of them.
There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you
I would do anything for you because I care about you so much.
And I'll keep all the promises I have ever made
I will never break any promises that I have made to you. You can trust in me.
I am going to be with you
I will be with you always, no matter what happens.
Here and everywhere
I will be by your side no matter where you are.
Do you know that you're not alone
I want you to know that you have my love and support so that you never feel alone.
And I will go ahead of you
I will lead the way for you, making sure that you are safe and secure.
What have you to fear
There is nothing to be afraid of because I am with you every step of the way.
Yes I hear your prayer to me
I am listening to your prayers and concerns, and I will always be here to help you.
And if you believe
If you have faith in me and trust in me, anything is possible.
That you can do anything
You have the strength and ability to conquer anything, with my support and guidance.
I will give you all the strength
I will give you the power and courage you need to face any challenge.
Take you by the hand
I will guide you, protect you and be your companion through life.
And I'll lead you all the way
I will never leave you, I will always be with you and show you the way forward.
You are not alone
No matter what happens, no matter how dark it may seem, you are never alone.
Contributed by Charlotte H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ssparker29
Agreed. I believe this is one of their best songs ever. Thanks for the comment.
@ABryan-tj7vc
Great song. I had forgot about his one. I agree, this is one of their best. I got to meet Mac the other day at my church. I've been listening to them from before the bus cd. I have an old cassette from the Gray Dot days. It's funny to see Mac on the cover with no facial hair. I remember Mac didn't tell anyone he was going to dye his hair and he shows up for the photo shoot for the Conspiracy Cd and the band were mad. They didn't talk to him for a few hours..lol. I think he looked pretty cool.
@IanLittke
Sad it didn't make it on an actual album. I love my Alien CD Single :)
@travisraycountry
Wish I still had mine! Grrrrr!! :)
@lukeroberts3464
This song should’ve been perfect 🤩 for the album 💿 conspiracy #5.
@claypots47
If you do not have the Alien CD Single, there are 3 available starting at $7. Incredible guitar work by Brad Avery https://www.discogs.com/artist/273700-Third-Day
@joelh2o
never heard this one. thanks for sharing
@fbgmpmw
Really cool
@aliengomer4108
My second favorite song besides Alien
@fbgmpmw
Cool