What does Toto's "Africa" mean?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Status
Not open for further replies.
MartyMcFly3

MartyMcFly3

Lifer
Jan 18, 2003
11,436
29
91
www.youtube.com
Someone explain this song to me.


TOTO - Africa Lyrics

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in twelve-thirty flight
Her 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"

[Chorus:]
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
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

[Repeat chorus]

[Instrumental break]

Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you

[Repeat chorus]
 
MrChad

MrChad

Lifer
Aug 22, 2001
13,507
3
81
In an article in Time magazine, one of the group members said they were looking for a song just to close off the album and did not think "Africa" would do as well as it did. They also mentioned that if you listen close enough during the lyrics "catch some waves," some group members were singing "catch some rays."
Click to expand...

Link
 
GasX

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
Originally posted by: MartyMcFly3
Originally posted by: MrChad
It's an 80s song, it doesn't have to mean anything.
Click to expand...

its GOT to mean something. I mean, why Africa?
Click to expand...
Because they are all starving and need rain to grow crops...

This is Sally Struther's favorite song next to "I want a second helping of Pie" by Fats Domino...
 
FoBoT

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
15
81
fobot.com
it is probably related to all the droughts and famines in africa during the 80's
they were much publicized in the US, like the song/album all the singers did for hunger relief in africa , i forget the name of it
 
SacrosanctFiend

SacrosanctFiend

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2004
4,269
0
0
Originally posted by: MartyMcFly3
Originally posted by: MrChad
It's an 80s song, it doesn't have to mean anything.
Click to expand...

its GOT to mean something. I mean, why Africa?
Click to expand...

It doesn't rain often inthe deserts of Africa, he's blessing the rain that he does see since it's so rare.
Maybe he hasn't seen his girl, that means so much to him, in a long time, and seeing her is like seeing rain in Africa?
 
MartyMcFly3

MartyMcFly3

Lifer
Jan 18, 2003
11,436
29
91
www.youtube.com
Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend
Originally posted by: MartyMcFly3
Originally posted by: MrChad
It's an 80s song, it doesn't have to mean anything.
Click to expand...

its GOT to mean something. I mean, why Africa?
Click to expand...

It doesn't rain often inthe deserts of Africa, he's blessing the rain that he does see since it's so rare.
Maybe he hasn't seen his girl, that means so much to him, in a long time, and seeing her is like seeing rain in Africa?
Click to expand...

That does make sense.
 
S

SchrodingersDog

Banned
Nov 17, 2004
911
0
0
This is one of those "girl is gonna save me and make me a better man" songs. The ending is not quite as you quoted. The last chorus repeated is

'I bless the rains down in Africa,
I passed some rains down in Africa"

The song's about his trip to pick up the girl and how he's gonna be different this time and make it work, and if it can rain in Africa on his way there then it confirms that even he can change for her. Nuff said.
 
Hulk

Hulk

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,098
3,604
136
Okay it took me 8 years to mull this over but here are my thoughts. Better late than never right?

He fell deeply in love with a woman who might not be equally in love with him.
He hears "drums" while she only hears faint conversation at their impending reunion. The drums may represent his beating heart, growing louder as she approaches.
He feels her coming in on a plane is like an angel (stars/heavens) coming to him from above.
He is looking for a way to impress her, to show her that he has changed since they were last together. She may be flying in from Africa.

He feels as though it is unlikely that their reunion will be permanent but takes comfort in the fact that although rare, it even rains in Africa on the plains at times. So he has a chance. He "blesses" the rains but the meaning is he worships/praises them, he is glad that unlikely events, though rare, do occur. He has a chance to fix things with her.
He is afraid of what he's become because during their time apart he has fallen so deeply in love with her that he doesn't know how he will go on if things don't work out.
"Hurry boy she's waiting there for you." Don't be afraid to tell her how you feel.

Brilliant song.
 
FoBoT

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
15
81
fobot.com
it's not a necro if the 'bump' post was thoughtful/meaningful and related and not by a 'spammer to ban'
it's just an old thread
f60f968070f21ba3f1b42d856e26a10f921fda19.jpg
 
V

Via

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2009
4,670
4
0
Dammit, now I have to figure this out.

"She" is obviously a plane, probably the plane he is on traveling to Africa.

The "quiet conversations" are the passengers talking. That's all that's audible on the plane, but in his mind he hears the drums.

As far as the "old man" goes - I think the song skipped forward in time. He's already landed in Africa, and sees an old African man on his trip.

As to the "dragging away" - he obvioulsy loves Africa, and doesnt want to leave, but he knows he'll have to eventually.


"Frightened of this thing that I've become"? I dunno.

Maybe his love for Africa scares him.





Or maybe he just fell for a black chick and is scared to tell his parents.
 
FallenHero

FallenHero

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2006
5,659
0
0
I remember this conversation with Marty in college. Too bad my account went boom since then and my responses to this thread are gone :(

Stupid Y2k6 bug!
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,575
126
Boy were you all way off...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_(Toto_song)

The initial idea for the song came from David Paich. Jeff Porcaro explains the idea behind the song: "... 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."[1]

David Paich said: "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."[2]
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom