[Verse 1: David Paich]
I hear the drums echoin' tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's comin' in, 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hopin' to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say
"Hurry, boy, it's waitin' there for you"
[Chorus: Bobby Kimball]
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothin' that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Ooh, ooh
[Verse 2: David Paich]
The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside
Frightened of this thing that I've become
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothin' that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Ooh, ooh
[Instrumental Break]
[Bridge: David Paich & Bobby Kimball]
"Hurry, boy, she's waiting there for you"
[Chorus: Bobby Kimball]
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothin' that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rains)
I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rains)
I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa (I'm gonna take the time)
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Ooh, ooh
[Instrumental Outro]
About
“Africa” is the third single from Toto’s 1982 album titled Toto IV. It is the group’s most popular song and reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in early 1983.
The lyrics comprise a heartfelt (if somewhat fantastical and stereotyped) vision of the beauty of Africa. There are undercurrents of embodying the continent of Africa in a female figure that is referenced throughout the song.
Africa is, of course, an enormous continent full of a variety of cultures, but the lyrics touch on what a white kid growing up in 1970s America would have been exposed to in pop culture, as drummer Jeff Porcaro stated in an interview:
… a white boy is trying to write a song on Africa, but since he’s never been there, he can only tell what he’s seen on TV or remembers in the past.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Keyboardist David Paich explained:
At the beginning of the ‘80s I watched a late night documentary on TV about all the terrible death and suffering of the people in Africa. It both moved and appalled me and the pictures just wouldn’t leave my head. I tried to imagine how I’d feel about if I was there and what I’d do.
Contrary to popular opinion, David Paich said in 2015 that the song is more about a love for a place, rather than a romantic love for another person.
In a 2005 interview with Grantland co-writer and keyboardist David Paich said:
I would see UNICEF commercials on TV, way back in the day, and I was a big reader of National Geographic. I’ve just always kind of been fascinated with Africa. I just kind of romanticized this story about a social worker that was over there, that falls in love and can’t — is having kind of a paradox, trying to tear himself away from Africa to actually have a life.
- 3.Africa
- 4.99
- 5.Mama
- 9.Anna
- 10.Georgy Porgy
- 11.Lea
- 12.It’s a Feeling
- 13.Rosanna
- 14.Angela
- 15.Only You
- 16.Out of Love
- 17.2 Hearts
