# Toto's "Africa" - "Guess" or "Bless" the rains? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012 "2006-11-03T19:27:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_piglet\_cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/22d042/32.png) [@running\_piglet\_cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_piglet_cheese)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/21 "2006-11-04T11:54:41Z")
I’ll add my misheard lyrics. “I left the rains”. It really has a good beat and I can dance to it. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/22 "2006-11-04T12:01:53Z")
You know, for years I thought the lyrics were "_I bought the rains down in Africa_- ie, the singer is some kind of Rain God, or else trying to help the country prosper by bringing rain to end the droughts etc. Maybe I need to get my hearing checked… ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/23 "2006-11-04T12:08:44Z")
[QUOTE=pravnik] The proper response in that circumstance is “the eagle flies on Friday.” Then he hands you the top secret submarine schematics. [/QUOTE] Kenneth? Is that you? ---
**Author:** ![PerditaX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@PerditaX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PerditaX)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/24 "2006-11-04T12:30:44Z")
[QUOTE=tanstaafl] I’ll join in to add that I too always heard it as “I’ll miss the rains…” I’ll also say I always heard the other line as “sure as Kilamanjaro rises like _an empress_ above the Serengeti”. Which almost makes sense but I guess “Olympus” makes more… [/QUOTE] Well, I thought the line was "rises like _a leo’press_ above the Serengeti. As in “a female leopard.” It seemed like a cool image - a mountain “crouching” over the plain like a big cat. 🆒 I was really disappointed when I found out it was actually Olympus. OTOH, I’m in the “miss the rains” camp. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/25 "2006-11-04T15:51:04Z")
Hey i thought it was leo’press, too. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/26 "2006-11-04T15:54:56Z")
[QUOTE=11811] Kenneth? Is that you? [/QUOTE] 250.789936Hz ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/27 "2006-11-04T15:59:11Z")
[QUOTE=Kizarvexius] Y’all were closer than I was by about a light year. I thought the line was “I passed the reins”. You know, as in “I yielded up control”. Never mind. [/QUOTE] Don’t feel bad. I’ve always heard it as “reins,” too. Although I usually flub the words before it because I never quite figured them out. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/28 "2006-11-04T17:27:34Z")
[QUOTE=PerditaX] Well, I thought the line was "rises like _a leo’press_ above the Serengeti. As in “a female leopard.” It seemed like a cool image - a mountain “crouching” over the plain like a big cat. 🆒 I was really disappointed when I found out it was actually Olympus. OTOH, I’m in the “miss the rains” camp. [/QUOTE] I always knew it was “bless the rains” but I’m also with you about the “lepress” (which is how it was spelled in my mind, tho I had the same mental image you did & not a female leper which is what my spelling would have meant.) Anyway, I wanted to congratulate you for being the first to mention the “leo’press”. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/29 "2006-11-04T21:56:51Z")
I met Claude Rains, down in Africa. But I’ll forgive you, if you just can’t see that happening. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012/30 "2006-11-04T22:06:34Z")
[QUOTE=Kizarvexius] Y’all were closer than I was by about a light year. I thought the line was “I passed the reins”. You know, as in “I yielded up control”. [/QUOTE] Heh. New one; I always heard" “I passed the rains” as in " I endured and survived the rains" which made perfect sense to me. But then again, I’m not a native speaker of English. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totos-africa-guess-or-bless-the-rains/379012.md?page=1)