"Africa" by Toto Is about WHAT?! | Lyrics Explained
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The content of this educational video is covered by fair use. My explanations are transformative and add interpretation and analysis to the original work much as happens when I teach poetry in a university classroom. When I explain songs, I use only the lyrics or short clips of the original song or music video and do not hurt the song’s salability or provided a market substitute. All copyright claims will be disputed and appealed. Please see me as your ally in my attempt to use a literary perspective to enable fans to better understand and enjoy your wonderful and interesting piece of music.
![Toto - Africa / Hold The Line / Stop Loving You (live) [2024]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5tppmuRLNkc/mqdefault.jpg)
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I always thought that they sang "I guess it rains down in Africa" and was like "yeah that makes sense I guess.. I mean it has to.. I think.." Thanks for clearing that one up for me
I always thought it was "I miss the rains down in Africa"
@@chrisjfox8715 that's understandable as well actually
I thought they were saying that too when I was younger xD
@@chrisjfox8715 me too
I swear to God I did too! It only took my kid singing this song in their choir that I figured out it wasn’t _”I guess it rains down in Africa”_ 😂
Ive always interpreted this song as being about a young missionary in Africa who's on his way to the aiport to fetch a former love interest coming in to visit him. On his way, he's struggling about his own feelings. He is in conflict about his desires to be reunited with a former romantic interest at the same time scared how it might distract him from his missionary work. He is in conflict about doing what's right but at the same time he acknowledges the fact that although he enjoys his missionary work, he longs for companionship and is excited about the idea of being reunited with romantic interest.
Tom Bombadil, how do you know so much about our world 😂
Well your wrong
I use "Africa" in addiction recovery sessions. "AFRICA" symbolically being sobriety with new and wonderful things waiting there for you. Watch out for the wild dogs looking for isolation, the first step back to your drug of choice.
Great song Toto. Sorry for taking poetic license, but it helps folks. Try it with Boomwhackers (pitched tubular instruments for music classes)! It's a hoot.
Kilimnajaro, Olympus and Serengeti. Getting one of these words into a song is pretty good but all three, into one line, that is genius.
Having been to Africa, it is definitely magical, and I had this song in my head half the time I was there!
I’m gonna be honest I was not expecting this. 😂
I like surprising people.
Me either!!
I'm a freaking psychic and I wasn't expecting it
Me too
What this other white bot is saying is not true at all.... facts,, research it if u like talk to people in Africa from the late 70’s n see what they tell you, I’m one of them this guy has no clue
When people actually do missionary work they often "fall in love" with the people they are ministering to, and they're not the same when they come back (if they come back), it helps them to become a better person. "I seek to cure what's deep inside
Frightened of this thing that I've become".
Yeahh the explanation this guy does is kinda , not blatant alrdy. But the info isnt deep.. there is more to the song
@Taniri ☹ Welp, yeah, not all Christians are the best people unfortunately. I wish there were more who truly shared the light of Christ. Guess I gotta start with myself there though, hehe.
Finally! I've been wanting this for so long!
Let me tell you how good this song is: I have been to Africa. In fact, I have been there twice. I didn't go to any place popular (other than Nairobi, Kenya since that is where my plane arrived). I travelled to southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania to do mission work. I feel EXACTLY like what this song talks about--I love Africa. I love the people. I love the rugged beauty of a landscape as wild as its inhabitants. Without a doubt, a hundred men or more could never convince me not to go back, and if the Lord is willing, I will spend the rest of my life there. This song perfectly captures everything I feel about it. My missionary team of which I was a part, (not the leader to be clear, just a member) even prayed for rain during the severe drought of 2017. 3 Days later it came! WHOO MAN!
Thats...AWESOME! You literally became the song man. Congrats.
Now I understand. Thanks for sharing!!
Its inhabitants are not wild. They just have a different culture and their own religion and that's great as it is
@@NinaSelene I was using poetic license.
In social studies when we were learning about Africa a kid thought that Africa was connected to U.S
TheFresh Egg in my high school a teacher asked a student how many states there are in the U.S he said 53
Well there dumb.
@@davidporporino4438 As Americans we are totally unconcerned about the world outside our little individual bubbles.
@@bobvarden7496 ok?
Well it kind of is, through history.
"Africa " is my fave all-time pop tune, but I was convinced the lyrics were directly related to some personal love affair the singer had with his love awaiting him in Africa. No matter, still the best song to come out of yesterday.
NO! he´s a werewolf!
Congrats Cliff, you spawned the all new nerdy branch of the Africa meme.
Also can you explain Imagine Dragons' new song Natural? I think you will find it is much deeper (or at least better written) than Evolve. I read your pieces on evolve, and I think you will find this quite redeeming of ID's songwriting. IDK, maybe its just me, but I would love your insight on the song.
Also nice vid.
'If you ever get the chance to travel outside of your own country' sounds super weird to Europeans 😂 I live two hours away from France and about 3h from Italy. And we have Erasmus and Interrail and all that. It's sometimes easy to forget that that's not the same for Americans
I haven't watched this yet and I already love it
Well to me it's a song about a love sick werewolf in Africa who cannot be with the one they love, due to the curse that is inflicted upon them. They're scared desperately wanting to find a cure so they can be, free from it and with the one they love. . . What do you think?
As a South African this song makes me miss so many departed loved ones
1.my mom who had all these groups on vinyl I still own them and treasure them
2.moeneeba Christians somebody I loved and miss so dearly even though we only knew each other less than a Yr and god needed you more than I do I remember us singing along to this when ever we had Sunday afternoons listening to the classic rock hours
3.my dear family who had to leave this world I hope you guys are still singing this like we always do
I have four different versions of this song on my phone
Is weezers cover one of them?
Miles o Smiles yup. I've got the original, Weezer's, Relient K's, and Leo Moracchiolli's. I've also been meaning to download the otamatone cover.
Yeet only 4? Pfft normie...
Gross
Great explanation! I love the song. I worked for a dentist who went to Africa every summer. He loved it there.
These videos give me life....🤘
Can you do an explanation of "Blood" by MCR please?
My goodness.😂
Flute Loops and Fun before I can learn every lyric and bop intensely to it I need to know what it means
TwentyØneBeansEatingTacøBell _ 😂
Lol
Do purple rain!!!
I always interpreted the lyrics as being about a widower that lost his wife in his later years but he and his wife always talked about going to Africa, but then he finally did in order to honor his late wife's memory. I like my interpretation a whole lot more lmao!
One of my fav songs
Go back to bts plz
@@kidzbopkaren2965 Mind your own business plz
@@dragonaise2417 k I admit I was rude srry
This is a song about a werewolf. He blesses the rain new cause it hides the moon and he doesn’t change into a werewolf and can be normal around his girl. Hate to break it to you. Read the lyrics “I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become”. ToTo self admittedly were into the occult and have said so.
Thanks for the explanation. I almost joined the French Foreign Legion in 1980, had a letter and almost mailed it one afternoon, never told my ex wife about it. Am a Vietnam combat vet and at that time in 1980 wanted to leave the U.S. banking executive career I was on. I had read Albert Camus' novel: "A Happy Death" in the early 1970s. I had served multiple tours in Vietnam and had left it in early 1971 to go to University. Got a couple of CIA recruitment letters during my first quarter of school. Read a novel about mercenaries in Africa and at the end of the novel: one of them is by himself slowly dying of wounds and he heads into the long grasses of the veldt to die. Which at the time sounded like a peaceful, noble death for someone like me. So the song always struck my melancholy of choosing a safe, boring life for a shorter, riskier life. I ended up in the PTSD Ward at the V.A. in Seattle in 1997, along with fellow Vietnam combat vets. Now I am 73 and still think I should have died in Vietnam....I had cancelled my last re up tour in Vietnam and was being assigned as a Navy advisor in the boondocks with the South Vietnamese, during the time of large Unit reductions in force. Always felt if I had done that last tour I wouldn't have made it back to the Great Supermarket of the U.S.
Africa
I do love this song honestly. It's a pretty tune with pretty lyrics. Of course, as I must maintain my title as meme queen, I must only recognize it as a meme.
*king
oh no! a redditor! whatever will we do!
Lmfao
Hey I watch your vids 😀 cool to see you here!
I love your vids!!
PILLOW PILOTTTSSS YES I LOVE YOU
You’re famous
That’s not at all what I thought 😂🤦♂️
I still think it's about a lovesick werewolf who's seeking a cure in Africa😂
Lmao I understood that reference
Hilarious
Teacher: Why don’t you have your homework?
Me: Sorry I was too busy blessing the rains down in Africa
Or it could be that he loves a girl but he went to africa to find a cure for the werewolf growing in side him and he blesses the rains because it covers the full so he doesn't change.
Think about that the next time you listen to it
Wtf?
Bro growing up with these weird 80s and 90s song, I truly appreciate videos like this Cuz I've been wondering my whole fkn life
*DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DUUU*
*Warning This Interpretation Might Ruin The Song For You So Read It At Your Own Risk*
I figured lyrics of the song were a riddle that tells the real story.
First off the christian missionary work in Africa wasn't only catholic.
In fact catholic missionaries made up less than one third of the christian missionary work in Africa at any given time.
So considering that i solved the riddle this way:
A man goes to Africa on Christian missionary assignment. He has a girlfriend or perhaps a wife that's flying in to see him.
He isn't in any hurry to get to the airport to meet her because he has secretly fallen in love with a native and they have been carrying on a secret affair.
Consider these lyrics: The wild dogs cry out in the night, as they grow restless longing for some solitary company"
"Solitary Company." As in "being alone with someone." "Secretly Meeting and Being Together"
Then This: "I know that i must do whats right, sure as Kilimanjaro Rises Above Olympus Above the Serengeti"
He knows that he must honor his vows to God and His Commitment to his wife or girlfriend. He knows that this relationship is wrong, but he just can't muster the resolve to do whats right.
Then The Admission: "I Seek To Cure Whats Deep Inside, Frightened of this thing that I've become"
He has become a slave to his Lust and Desire for his Native Lover and in the moment of sexual passion sas he nears climax he finds that he doesn't care about anything but pleasure. Everything else from His Wife / Girlfriend to his vows of ministry and even his immortal soul are meaningless in those moments.
He is afraid now because the longer this relationship continues, the less will he has to walk away from it, and its not just the sex, but also its the native man he loves and has never loved anyone that strongly before.
This is reflected in the lyrics: It's Gonna Take A Lot To Drag Me Away From You, There's Nothing that A Hundred Men Or More Will Ever Do" He's saying that he could try the same relationship dynamic with a hundred men or more and never achieve this level of love or satisfaction. The Love Is What makes The Satisfaction So Intense that He is Willing to Abandon everything Else in His Life To Keep This Relationship.
There's a lot of symbolism in the video, The woman in the library in the library appears to be judging him the way people judge same sex relations, The Zulu Shield indicates hiding or protecting as if anticipating attack, He has a piece of a page from a book and he's trying to find where it came from to understand it, or he's searching for a way that his awkward lifestyle fits into his missionary work, ministry Vows and Marriage/relationship. He wants justification so he doesn't feel so guilty.
Then he finds the book titled "Africa" which represents his lover and he embraces the book.
Then After the spear hits the book shelf He just watches, making no effort to stop the chain reaction of the Books Falling over. The Books represent The Bible he vowed to live by, then the lamp falls over. The lamp's flame and oil reservoir represents the duality of passion it can burn for a long time, but if its misused it can destroy everything around it.
The Last pre-chores "Hurry boy it's waiting there for you" and his actions that follow seem to indicate that he decided to give up on his life and choose to surrender to his own passion.
His secrets are discovered and it appears evident by the final scene where he is sitting alone on the the giant book, that he lost the girl, the guy and his ministry because he chose to do what he knew was wrong, over what he knew was the road to redemption.
It could also represent Hell in that respect. the loss of everything including his faith.
Damn that was like a mini-novel.
Anyway, that's my twisted homoerotic interpretation of the events.
Homosexuality was a major taboo in society during the time this song was written, Plus Aids was really Big in Africa then too...
Maybe Aids Was the Punishment for All That "Spear Action" He was involved in eh?
LOL I warned you this might ruin the song for you, I hope it didn't though!!!
A large part of Africa is prone to drought and even the parts that aren't desert or semi-arid can often have a long dry season, so when it rains it truly is a big deal and it's a positive development. I think people that say i bless the rains means he's making peace with his internal sadness (rain as a symbol for tears) are off.If anything I bless the rains expresses the joy he has found in making his life one of service to the people. It means he has found his life's purpose. rain as a symbol of joy for something longed for.
Love all of the versions, the romantic one as the social one ❤️
Basically, there are countless worlds behind this lyric. Thanks for having uncovered one!
Thanks. I googled the lyrics and was confused. Thanks for explaining your / the guitarist take. I wish we heard it directly from the Horse's mouth (Toto) because now everything is just up for interpretation.
The Weezer cover is a BOP
prouswhere did you get your copy of the lyrics?. I have the official Toto IV songbook... "Rises like a leprous" is what is written.
I never understood the confusion. How you are describing it is exactly how I interpreted the lyrics in the 80's as a teenager. But confession: I was a drummer, songwriter and singer(in that order) and have always been drawn to deep, spiritual lyrics.
One of my favorite songs is, "Children of the Sun." Billy Thorpe.
This song hits different 🙌🏾 he longs to be there 🙌🏾 your perception is beautiful i love it❤❤❤❤
K. I can appreciate your attempt to understand what the lyrics mean but I am is a very solid and all encompassing summary of what the lyrics are talking about. I could go into detail but those who know, already know. Those who dont quite know yet wouldnt get it if i utilized every word in every language. Again, thanks for posting! Be free guys! Xoxo
I don’t usually go to You Tube for close textual analysis
I thought a missionary was dealing with an African woman and was tortured by it going against religion. He had become a new kind of person. In the video it looks like she met her demise by infighting, but it looks like there's Africa was just changing by different influences. The influences mean Africa will never be as innocent. Africa gives more than it will ever get back.. God bless Africa
Explain Imagine Dragons new songs: Natural and Skipping Stones
L P why
no joke, this song is really poetic and it is an a+ song
My friends saw Toto last night at the Count Basie Theater in 2024👍🏼 yayy
Africa is a metaphor for anything in life that you are unfamiliar with but are extremely interested in especially one of the opposite sex.
The pure intentional sentiment of this song is the key to its epic longevity, while quietly becoming the most well liked song in history world wide.
I think it's about time for another Fall Out Boy video
Xavier Bruchon no
Rock and roll sea lion Sea lion You're ruining my dreams😂
Now you need to analyze Never Gonna Give You Up and All Star. Meme Trifecta! Lol.
Thank you
As spanish speaker I really enjoy how he pronounces "Toto".
This guy must be one of the most charismatic persons I have ever seen. You are like instantly likable! Enjoyed the video! Cheers
😢Sorry.. but it's actually kindly singing. He appreciates the conquerers who reigned on the continent before he got there.
Hurry boy its waiting for you for my series Anakin going to the garage
And what about the african girl shown in the music video? Love?
He didnt get just 1 raise, he got some raise
Thanks for the explanation of the lyrics, whatever your name is.. I think they make sense..... the way you laid it out... this is the best song about Africa since the lion sleeps tonight...😀
I always thought that “there’s nothing that a hundred men on Mars could ever do.”
If you love this song, go check out Jonathan Young's cover featuring Caleb Hayes. It is amazing. Also, I always loved this song and believed it to be about the romance between two people. I had never thought of it to be about the idea of romancing a place. Thanks for this new take on a song I love. Can you do "Don't Stop Believin'"? I am a huge 80s music fan. Or "Scars" by Papa Roach? That is a good song too.
Up until a year or so ago, I literally thought the lyrics said "It never rains down in Africa". Imagine how silly I must have sounded when singing this song out loud.
Its a song about a man trying not to be a werewolf going to africa to find a cure
you need to do the history of yesterday by the beetles... if you haven't already.
I just got back from living in another country for a short while and 100% agree it’s a great experience!
Thank you so much for clarifying!
Wow! Mind blown. I knew it was full of personification of Africa as a beautiful, exotic woman. I like the idea of a missionary, that is a priest. He cannot have physical love and yet he loves fully. It brings him fulfillment. Thanks professor.
Thank you friend. I'll be checking this channel now for more meanings that I cannot figure out.
I always thought they said "I touched the rains down in Africa" until like a week ago.
I would like Funeral suits - All those friendly people explained (old one i know)
perfect
Could you explain "The Fall" by half•alive? Their music is really well written, and pretty deep as well. :)
The song talks about how much rain there is in Africa. It talks that there's so so much rain. I don't know how to explain it, but yeah. Everyone saying it doesn't rain in Africa... learn your geography
Thank you!
DIS WHITE BOI
Please do one about Toto - Mushanga
Clifford - I didn’t expect you to do a PG-13 version of this iconic song’S REAL interpretation. I’ll give you props for saying the meaning of the lyrics to Toto’s smash hit “Africa” is “super-interesting” (side-note: let’s not confuse “missionary” with MISSIONARY - click to see more & keep reading & you’ll see what I mean)...
The meaning of the song is first and foremost sexual - but not simply for the sake of being sexual. This ballad by Toto literally echoes the hidden emotions of a Caucasian male caught in a newfound love affair with an African (American) woman. This tale is not told explicitly though; to fully understand the subtle & clever innuendos of this cult classic - we have to read between the lines! Let’s dissect them now, shall we:
VERSE 1:
“I hear the drums echoing tonight - But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation”
-->Translation: I see myself rhythmically pounding her tonight, meanwhile she thinks we’re just gonna be simply chatting quietly with each other.
“She's coming in, 12:30 flight - The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation”
-->Translation: OMG! She’s finally here - boing! (12:30 is referencing his full hard-on/erection). Moonlit wings is a nod to “angel dust” (a mind altering hallucinogenic drug - go research the 80’s); which will probably play a part in the “salvation” or sexual intercourse to come.
“I stopped an old man along the way - Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies”
-->Translation: Midway the fantastic (and given the time, taboo)sexual exchange, he attempts to find complementing ways to appreciatively serenade his Nubian Princess (assumably, he pulled out at this point & since he used the word “old” - we can also assume that there is a considerable age gap between these lovers.
“He turned to me as if to say, ‘Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you’”
-->Translation: Dude’s raging boner stares him in the face - like “WTF” (perhaps a hallucinogenic mind trip from the angel dust effects); apparently he is reminded of the mission at hand & that total mutual satisfaction with the prospects of a double climax await them both...
CHORUS:
“It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you. There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do”
-->Translation: No one can break up our bi-racially intimate relationship (despite how seemingly taboo it is).
Basically, it doesn’t matter what the crowd/anyone says - they are now inseparable.
“I bless the rains down in Africa. Gonna take some time to do the things we never had”
-->Translation: I’m gonna internally shower you deep inside with my blessings of love (ejaculation “rains down in Africa”; because, well yeah - she’s black). Apparently amidst it all they’re gonna engage in all sorts of excitement (extreme foreplay).
VERSE 2:
“The wild dogs cry out in the night - As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company”
-->Translation: My balls are aching something fierce as I look forward to some more time alone with you.
“I know that I must do what's right - As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti”
-->Translation: As sure as I’m straining this hard-on inside my trousers (despite the so-called sexual taboo), I know that being with you is right & it’s something I must do!
“I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become”
-->Translation: I can hardly wait any longer. I gotta experience more of the passion we secretly share. You’re the only one that can satisfy my deepest urges. Oh snap! I think I’ve become so addicted to you - it’s actually kinda scary...
REPEATED CHORUS & AD-LIBS CONTINUE...
So you see - the rains runs more than “deep” inside Africa. Toto didn’t reveal much because they didn’t want to openly publicize the hidden nature of these cleverly wonderful lyrics. But now you know...
#StayInnocent (^_^) & hit up that "LIKE" button below:
Ahh lol very nice job! 😍
What does kilimanjaro rises like Olympus mean? Did the catholic priests not know how to use metaphors?
They need to bless the rains in America right now. Africa is ok👌
Was infant sorrow trying to riff off of this song when they made African Child to sell out?
you should do a song by yungblud! like medicine or kill somebody, it would be really nice!!
greetings from chile, been subscribed for a while and looove your videos!
I thought it was about a white guy in love with an African woman in a taboo relationship
The fact you have a different song playing in the background as you do this explanation makes it hard to follow
The song is about a guy who goes to africa, works really hard, earns some raises, and now he can afford to do the things he never could before.
Hurry Boy, its waiting there for you (seize the day)
He actually did it
Rhodesians never die!
Shit, this song really is beautiful
I will counter you saying not to visit tourist spots. Straying into neighborhoods is how you end up with missing tourists
This is my favorite song 😭
Not my take away from the song. I always thought it was a love song. Rains in Africa helped the one he loves live, just so he could meet her and more, and he would beat any one trying to stop him from being with her. Well that’s I took the song’s meaning.
I thought it was always “I miss the rains down in Africa”
It's about a guy trying to find a cure for being a werewolf
I HAD to disengage from 'world harpings' and chk this one out. For me, would need to listen to the whole perspectives of this at least once more. Just me? For some reason, the song and production always sounded like an anthem to me. Particularly the drummer. It is liked privileged information to have a true look inside the songwriter(s) inspirations of the song! There is a town named Kampala in Africa. It was a very,very rough life for the people there when i first heard of it. Someone thought of an idea to bring music into the poverty stricken town. That 'idea' did happen and through one of the founders, i kind of made a Kampala, African friend for a few years.Cell phones and apps were not yet too popular at the time. Many,many young people were given and learned to play all kinds of organic musical instruments and together with the teachers created many ensembles. Sorry long but it's a journey to experience the 'connect'. Very cool, thanks!!! Pc
They know that "Enki" used the perfect humans in Africa. Have they figured out how we were made?
Thank you so much for this, I was so confused trying to figure this song out cuz I love Weezer's version of it 💓
If you're coming to the West Middle East or Africa, please be careful about walking down streets. Especially if you're a female travelling alone. It breaks my heart to say it, but you'll be harassed 100%. If you think people won't notice you're a tourist from the Americas they will. Love you all, get a guide and come with a large group of friends to be safe. Stay in large cities, there's not too much to see outside of them anyway. The missionaries get a pass because they are people of God to many people. It is usually considered bad luck to attack a missionary, yet it still happens.
I'm going to Egypt in 2 weeks my first photo is going to be a picture of the pyramids with the caption "I Bless the rain down in Africa"
Can you explain young blood by 5 seconds of summer please??
Bobo Deng why
They were on a lot of cocaine when they wrote the song LOL. Don’t think about the lyrics too much. This song is a feeling.
The synopsis of someone who did not eat psilocybin mushrooms