This song is a tribute to the African continent told through the eyes of a traveler who reflects on his life.
Creative Liberties Were Taken
“Africa” was written by Toto keyboardist and vocalist, David Paich, with Jeff Porcaro, drummer. The percussion is essential to this piece as it is informed by and adds texture to the emotional journey that the lyrics take you on. Africa is personified as a beautiful woman at multiple points throughout the lyrics.
In an interview with Songfacts, Paich admitted, “That was me using a lot of writer’s license. I remember seeing lots of films of starving and famine when I was a kid in pictures of Africa. Then I’d seen some movies and read a lot of the National Geographics, and always wanted to go to Africa, so I romanticized this story about a social worker that goes over there and falls in love with working with the country and doing good. But he also falls in love and has to make a choice between helping people for the rest of his life or having a family and doing that kind of thing.”
Paich also “There’s a little metaphor involved here because I was at the age where I was so immersed in my work, 24/7, that at times I felt like I was becoming just a victim of my work. There was a little bit of autobiographical information in there: being consumed by my work, not having time to go out and pursue getting married and raising a family and doing all the things that other people do that were my age at the time. So, it could be semi-autobiographical at that point.”
Although Paich didn’t have much personal experience to draw from for his tribute to the African continent, he worked off of the resources he had available and did his best to create a heartfelt and respectful homage. Because David Paich drew his inspiration mainly from pop culture, the lyrics include some stereotypical depictions of African culture. While the song isn’t a deep dive into the diverse range of cultures across the vast continent, the theme of Africa’s beauty and wonder are conveyed evocatively through the eyes of our traveling narrator.
Blessings From the Missionaries
“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 / We’re gonna take some time to do the things we never had”
The “bless the rains” line was directly based on David’s experience in Catholic school. There, he heard about the missionary work his teachers had done.
As Paich put it to The Guardian in 2018, “I went to an all-boys Catholic school, and a lot of the teachers had done missionary work in Africa. They told me how they would bless the villagers, their Bibles, their books, their crops and when it rained, they’d bless the rain. That’s where the hook line – ‘I bless the rains down in Africa’ – came from.”
A Personal Journey Within
At the end of the second verse, Paich sings:
“I seek to cure what’s deep inside / Frightened of this thing that I’ve become”
This hits on a highly relatable human struggle: an inner conflict that you don’t know how to fix or overcome. Paich suddenly and dramatically takes the song to a more desperate place by confessing his darkest fears and deepest desires.
Lyrics
I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She’s coming in, 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, “Hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you”
It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing 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
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 nothing 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
Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you
It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing 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 rain)
I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rain)
I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa (gonna take the time)
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Jeff Porcaro / David Paich / Karl Wolf
Africa lyrics © Universal Music Corp., Rising Storm Music, Bmg Gold Songs, Red Riding Hood Publishing, Hudmar Publ Co Inc, Hudmar Publishing Co Inc, Pw 3 Ascap Songs