Rock, Pop

Africa Chords

Toto Intermediate Key of A 6 Chords 3 min read

Atap to play

C#mtap to play

F#mtap to play

Dtap to play

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Bmtap to play

Key

A Major

Difficulty

Intermediate

Capo

None

Chords

A · C#m · F#m · D · E · Bm

Africa Chords – Guitar

Toto’s epic rock anthem with its iconic keyboard intro and African-inspired rhythms. Intermediate difficulty in the key of A.

Rock Shuffle (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: This song has a distinctive shuffle feel. Accent the off-beats to capture the song’s groove. The chord progression is more complex than most rock songs.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

A G

I hear the drums echoing tonight

D A

But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

A G

She’s coming in, twelve-thirty flight

D A

The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Verse 2

A G

I stopped an old man along the way

D A

Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies

A G

He turned to me as if to say

D A

“Hurry, boy, it’s waiting there for you”

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Verse 3

A G

The wild dogs cry out in the night

D A

As they grow restless longing for some solitary company

A G

I know that I must do what’s right

D A

As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

Verse 4

A G

I seek to cure what’s deep inside

D A

Frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Final Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DEA

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Practice tip: The verse uses A-G-D-A, while the chorus switches to D-E-A and D-E-F#m. Practice the chorus progression separately — it’s the most memorable part of the song.

Atap to play

C#mtap to play

F#mtap to play

Dtap to play

Etap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

A Major

Difficulty

Intermediate

Tuning

G-C-E-A

Chords

A · C#m · F#m · D · E · Bm

Africa Chords – Ukulele

Toto’s epic rock anthem with its iconic keyboard intro and African-inspired rhythms. Intermediate difficulty in the key of A.

Rock Shuffle (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: This song has a distinctive shuffle feel. Accent the off-beats to capture the song’s groove. The chord progression is more complex than most rock songs.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

A G

I hear the drums echoing tonight

D A

But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

A G

She’s coming in, twelve-thirty flight

D A

The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Verse 2

A G

I stopped an old man along the way

D A

Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies

A G

He turned to me as if to say

D A

“Hurry, boy, it’s waiting there for you”

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Verse 3

A G

The wild dogs cry out in the night

D A

As they grow restless longing for some solitary company

A G

I know that I must do what’s right

D A

As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

Verse 4

A G

I seek to cure what’s deep inside

D A

Frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Final Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DEA

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Practice tip: The verse uses A-G-D-A, while the chorus switches to D-E-A and D-E-F#m. Practice the chorus progression separately — it’s the most memorable part of the song.

Atap to play

C#mtap to play

F#mtap to play

Dtap to play

Etap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

A Major

Difficulty

Intermediate

Left Hand

Root notes

Chords

A · C#m · F#m · D · E · Bm

Africa Chords – Piano

Toto’s epic rock anthem with its iconic keyboard intro and African-inspired rhythms. Intermediate difficulty in the key of A.

Rock Shuffle (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: This song has a distinctive shuffle feel. Accent the off-beats to capture the song’s groove. The chord progression is more complex than most rock songs.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

A G

I hear the drums echoing tonight

D A

But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

A G

She’s coming in, twelve-thirty flight

D A

The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Verse 2

A G

I stopped an old man along the way

D A

Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies

A G

He turned to me as if to say

D A

“Hurry, boy, it’s waiting there for you”

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Verse 3

A G

The wild dogs cry out in the night

D A

As they grow restless longing for some solitary company

A G

I know that I must do what’s right

D A

As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

Verse 4

A G

I seek to cure what’s deep inside

D A

Frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Final Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DEA

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Practice tip: The verse uses A-G-D-A, while the chorus switches to D-E-A and D-E-F#m. Practice the chorus progression separately — it’s the most memorable part of the song.

Atap to play

C#mtap to play

F#mtap to play

Dtap to play

Etap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

A Major

Difficulty

Intermediate

Tuning

gDGBD (Open G)

Chords

A · C#m · F#m · D · E · Bm

Africa Chords – Banjo

Toto’s epic rock anthem with its iconic keyboard intro and African-inspired rhythms. Intermediate difficulty in the key of A.

Rock Shuffle (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: This song has a distinctive shuffle feel. Accent the off-beats to capture the song’s groove. The chord progression is more complex than most rock songs.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

A G

I hear the drums echoing tonight

D A

But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

A G

She’s coming in, twelve-thirty flight

D A

The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Verse 2

A G

I stopped an old man along the way

D A

Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies

A G

He turned to me as if to say

D A

“Hurry, boy, it’s waiting there for you”

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Verse 3

A G

The wild dogs cry out in the night

D A

As they grow restless longing for some solitary company

A G

I know that I must do what’s right

D A

As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

Verse 4

A G

I seek to cure what’s deep inside

D A

Frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Final Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DEA

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Practice tip: The verse uses A-G-D-A, while the chorus switches to D-E-A and D-E-F#m. Practice the chorus progression separately — it’s the most memorable part of the song.

Atap to play

C#mtap to play

F#mtap to play

Dtap to play

Etap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

A Major

Difficulty

Intermediate

Tuning

G-D-A-E

Chords

A · C#m · F#m · D · E · Bm

Africa Chords – Mandolin

Toto’s epic rock anthem with its iconic keyboard intro and African-inspired rhythms. Intermediate difficulty in the key of A.

Rock Shuffle (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: This song has a distinctive shuffle feel. Accent the off-beats to capture the song’s groove. The chord progression is more complex than most rock songs.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

A G

I hear the drums echoing tonight

D A

But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

A G

She’s coming in, twelve-thirty flight

D A

The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Verse 2

A G

I stopped an old man along the way

D A

Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies

A G

He turned to me as if to say

D A

“Hurry, boy, it’s waiting there for you”

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Verse 3

A G

The wild dogs cry out in the night

D A

As they grow restless longing for some solitary company

A G

I know that I must do what’s right

D A

As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

Verse 4

A G

I seek to cure what’s deep inside

D A

Frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Final Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DEA

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Practice tip: The verse uses A-G-D-A, while the chorus switches to D-E-A and D-E-F#m. Practice the chorus progression separately — it’s the most memorable part of the song.

Atap to play

C#mtap to play

F#mtap to play

Dtap to play

Etap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

A Major

Difficulty

Intermediate

Harp Key

C Diatonic

Chords

A · C#m · F#m · D · E · Bm

Africa Chords – Harmonica

Toto’s epic rock anthem with its iconic keyboard intro and African-inspired rhythms. Intermediate difficulty in the key of A.

Rock Shuffle (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: This song has a distinctive shuffle feel. Accent the off-beats to capture the song’s groove. The chord progression is more complex than most rock songs.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

A G

I hear the drums echoing tonight

D A

But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

A G

She’s coming in, twelve-thirty flight

D A

The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Verse 2

A G

I stopped an old man along the way

D A

Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies

A G

He turned to me as if to say

D A

“Hurry, boy, it’s waiting there for you”

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Verse 3

A G

The wild dogs cry out in the night

D A

As they grow restless longing for some solitary company

A G

I know that I must do what’s right

D A

As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

Verse 4

A G

I seek to cure what’s deep inside

D A

Frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DE

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Final Chorus

D E A

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

D E A

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

D E F#mD

I bless the rains down in Africa

E A DEA

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Practice tip: The verse uses A-G-D-A, while the chorus switches to D-E-A and D-E-F#m. Practice the chorus progression separately — it’s the most memorable part of the song.