Third Day (Feat. All Sons & Daughters) – Soul on Fire

Most of you have heard of Third Day and listened to their music.  The name comes from the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:4) and the Apostle’s Creed.  They recently broke up, giving their farewell tour ending in June 2018.

The band’s lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee, pianist Billy Wilkins, and guitarist August McCoy formed in 1991 while Powell and Lee attended High School.  They performed in Atlanta to raise money to produce their first album.  With enough funds scraped together, they produced Long Time Forgotten in 1994, which sold 2,000 copies. They also produced Contagious and their self-titled Third Day between 1994 and 1996.  The third album lead to a record deal with Reunion Records, putting them on the map.  They have released 13 studio albums since their deal, including a re-release of Third Day in 1996. 

They have won numerous Grammy and Dove awards for their work, too many to list here.

This review on their song Soul on Fire was initially released as a single.  It appeared later on their album Lead Us Back: Songs of Worship (Deluxe Edition).

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Third-day-soul-on-fire-lyrics.

Side Note: Genius’ lyric on Verse 1, line 2 is incorrect.  It should read, “I have wandered, bring me back”.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

Overall, I found the message to signify a single theme: restoration from a lackluster walk to fiery passion for God.

Side Note: To those sensitive to massive repetition, the chorus makes up around 84% of the entire song.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

Though one line is somewhat ambiguous, the majority of this song agrees with the Bible.

[Chorus]

Lines 1 and 2: The concept of running after God’s own heart comes from 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22.  It describes King David as a man who will fulfill God’s will.  Though not perfect, his life and desires express an earnest yearning for God.  It also reminds me of the race Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 9:23-27.

Line 3: The meaning of a soul on fire is unknown. My best guess is a state of being where our zeal ignites, becoming inflamed with an unquenchable devotion to God.  It changes every fiber of our being and how we live our lives.  What started as a step of faith turns into complete and utter abandonment of self, where God is the most important thing.  Jesus says as much in strong language in Luke 14:26-33, where He calls His followers to hate their families and lives.  That is, to love them less than God.

Line 4: See commentary on lines 1 and 2.  Also, what are God’s ways?  Does Third Day expect us to already know what they are?  They certainly don’t tell us.

Lines 5 and 6: While it is good to desire such passion, it will not happen idly.  It is through this striving expressed in lines 1 and 2 that will get us there.

Line 7: Repeats line 3.

Lines 8-14 – Repeats lines 1-7.

[Verse 1]

Line 1: A prayer offered to God.  Third day expresses their desire to return to their fervor, perhaps when they first started believing.

Line 2: References the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32.  Third Day asks God to help them return home.

Lines 3 and 4: Third Day is not specific about what darkness they are experiencing; However, we know from the Scriptures that God’s light drives out the darkness (see Psalm 107:10-16, Luke 1:79, John 1:1-13, John 12:46, Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:13, and 1 Peter 2:9).

[Verse 2]

Lines 1 and 2: Shares the same themes as the rest of this song regarding restoration.

Lines 3 and 4: Repeats lines 1 and 2.

[Outro]

Essentially repeats the Chorus, lines 1-3.

Score: 9/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Given that the Chorus makes up the bulk of the song, it becomes etched in the unbeliever’s mind that Christians desire God.  The concept of one’s soul on fire from their perspective is the same as my own.  For that, I must give full credit.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

Third Day desires God, bringing Him glory.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Though monotonous, Third Day’s Soul on Fire ignites my heart.  It reminds me to return back to when I first became a believer, full of energy and focus on following Jesus.  The unbelievers will see it also throughout this song, which brings glory to God.

I recommend this song for corporate worship.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Soul on Fire (listen to the song)

Artist: Third Day (Feat. All Sons & Daughters)

Album: Lead Us Back: Songs of Worship (Deluxe Edition)

Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), Rock

Release Year: 2014

Duration: 3:17

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

06/21/2022 – Updated review to correct incorrect lyric in Genius link.  Thanks to PK for finding it!

05/05/2021 – Removed the word “consuming” in commentary on Verse 1, line 2.

03/25/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.  I moved my commentary as a side note and increased my score for sections 1 and 2, and changed my recommendation by removing “highly”.  This raised the overall score, from 9/10 to 9.5/10.

09/09/2020 – Charley identified a criticism that I forgot to update after I changed my mind.  This did not affect my rating.