One of the greatest hits from the 80's (I'll be hanged if I know what this song is talking about).

Watch an amazing modern choir version of this song: Africa, choir version.

Or sing along to this karaoke version of Africa.

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 long 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
We’re 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

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
We’re gonna take some time to do the things we never had

(instrumental break)

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 rains down in Africa, I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
We’re gonna take some time to do the things we never had

I’LL BE HANGED IF I KNOW= (from the song description in the beginning) is an emphatic way of saying "I don’t know" (a bit old-fashioned)

DRUMS= instruments you play by hitting the top with your hands

WHISPERS= very soft low voices

SHE’S COMING IN 12:30 FLIGHT= She’s coming on the plane arriving at 12:30

MOONLIT= illuminated by the moon

WINGS= the two parts used by birds (moving) or planes to fly (static)

TOWARDS= to (expressing the direction of the movement). Pronounced /təwɔ:*dz/.

ALONG THE WAY= when I was walking

ANCIENT= /eɪnʃənt/ very very old, maybe going back to centuries

GONNA= going to

DRAG ME AWAY FROM YOU= separate me from you by force (not even more than 100 men could do it)

I BLESS= I thank. The word BLESS is more emphatic than THANK because it’s got spiritual, holy connotations

TO DO THE THINGS WE NEVER HAD= to do the things we never had done (the grammar of this sentence is a bit terrible, so don’t say things like this)

RESTLESS= impatient, moving because you want some action (in this case, the wild dogs are probably getting ready to attack)

LONGING= to long is to desire something very much

SEEK= look for

TO CURE= /tə kjɔ:/ to heal (old fashioned pronunciation: /tə kjʊə*/ )

A kind of obscure song. We’re probably talking about two strong loves here: the boy’s in love with Africa and he’s also in love with a girl from another country. Maybe they were lovers and he came to Africa, but now she’s coming to take him back home. Or maybe he’s an African and he fell in love with a girl from a rich country, and now she’s coming to take him away with her. He has to take a very hard decision, because he has to choose between two powerful loves.

In sentences like "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you", we don’t know if he’s talking about Africa or about the girl, but we can easily assume it’s talking about Africa ("I bless the rain down in Africa"). The line "hurry, boy! She’s waiting there for you" suggests that he finally chose to go with her, but he’ll definitely miss Africa, that’s why he’s trying to experience the most of it before leaving, learning as much as possible before losing it, " stopped an old man along the way hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies".