The Ants Go Marching
Kidzone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching one by one.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching one by one;
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
The ants go marching two by two.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching two by two.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching two by two;
The little one stops to tie his shoe,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The ants go marching three by three.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching three by three.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching three by three;
The little one stops to climb a tree,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The ants go marching four by four.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching four by four.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching four by four;
The little one stops to shut the door,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The ants go marching five by five.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching five by five.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching five by five;
The little one stops to take a dive,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The ants go marching six by six.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching six by six.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching six by six;
The little one stops to pick up sticks,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The ants go marching seven by seven.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching seven by seven.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching seven by seven;
The little one stops to pray to heaven,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The ants go marching eight by eight.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching eight by eight.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching eight by eight;
The little one stops to rollerskate,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The ants go marching nine by nine.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching nine by nine.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching nine by nine;
The little one stops to check the time,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The ants go marching ten by ten.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching ten by ten.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching ten by ten;
The little one stops to shout
out "THE END!"
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
"The Ants Go Marching In" is a well-known children's song about marching ants. The song's melody is based on the traditional song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." The lyrics describe a group of marching ants who encounter various obstacles but continue marching downwards into the ground to escape the rain. The song is generally seen as a fun and light-hearted tune for young children.
The first verse introduces the concept of the ants marching "one by one" and the repetition of "Hoorah!" gives a sense of celebratory energy. The second verse introduces the idea of the ants marching "two by two," and the little one stopping to tie his shoe gives a sense of individuality and playfulness. As the song goes on, each verse adds more ants and more interruptions, creating a more complex and chaotic picture of the ant march. Finally, in the last verse, the little one interrupts the march altogether by shouting "THE END!"
The song is often used in educational settings to teach young children about numbers and counting. It can also be used to teach about animals, specifically ants and their behavior. Teachers may use the song to create activities related to the lyrics, such as having children create their own verses or draw pictures of marching ants.
Overall, the song is a classic children's tune that emphasizes the importance of persistence, teamwork, and the power of community. It highlights the idea that even though obstacles may arise, if we work together and keep marching forward, we can overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
The ants go marching one by one.
The ants are moving in a line, one ant at a time.
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
One tiny ant stops and sucks its thumb.
The ants go marching two by two.
The ants are still moving in a line, but now two at a time.
The little one stops to tie his shoe,
Another small ant stops to tie its tiny shoe.
The ants go marching three by three.
Now three ants are moving in the line together.
The little one stops to climb a tree,
A third ant stops to climb a tree on its way.
The ants go marching four by four.
The line of ant marchers has grown to four.
The little one stops to shut the door,
One little ant stops to close a door behind.
The ants go marching five by five.
The line of ants has reached a size of five.
The little one stops to take a dive,
The fifth ant stops to take a quick dive.
The ants go marching six by six.
Six ants are now marching in the line.
The little one stops to pick up sticks,
Another ant stops to pick up some sticks.
The ants go marching seven by seven.
The line has grown to seven ants.
The little one stops to pray to heaven,
One ant stops to pray to the heavens above.
The ants go marching eight by eight.
Eight ants now proceed in the line.
The little one stops to rollerskate,
An ant stops to rollerskate instead of walking.
The ants go marching nine by nine.
The line has grown to nine marching ants.
The little one stops to check the time,
One ant stops to check the time on its watch.
The ants go marching ten by ten.
Ten ants are now marching in the line.
The little one stops to shout "THEY'RE AT IT AGAIN!",
The tenth ant stops to shout that they are at it again, whatever that means.
And they all go marching down into the ground
All of the ants proceed to march underground.
To get out of the rain.
They are marching underground to seek refuge from the rain above.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
A marching sound effect accompanies the ants as they march along.
Contributed by Jayce A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.