Lemon Demon is a musical project that was created by Neil Cicierega in 2003… Read Full Bio ↴Lemon Demon is a musical project that was created by Neil Cicierega in 2003. The live music includes touring members Alora Lanzilotta (bass), Charles Sergio (guitar) and Gregory Lanzilotta (drums). Tony Wry was the band's drummer from 2007 to 2008.

Under the Lemon Demon name, Neil has released seven full length albums and two EPs. Neil is also known for being the creator of a genre of Flash animation called "Animutation" which is characterized by unpredictable montages of pop-culture images set to music, often in a language foreign to the intended viewers. He is also known from his YouTube channel, 'NeilCicierega', most famous for his Potter Puppet Pals series.

Spiral of Ants
Lemon Demon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Over and over
The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony
Consuming the colony
The Circle rules your life

Chop, chop! Don′t want to be late
Lift up and carry your weight
You've got no choice but to dance in a spiral of ants

True bugs might laugh in your face
Don′t fret, you're leading the race
Don't let the bastards step on your hands in a spiral of ants

You can′t remember where you came from (In a spiral of ants)
You can′t remember where you're going (In a spiral of ants)
You can′t remember knowing
You are one ant
Over, it's over
The pheromones, the self-avoiding odyssey
Consuming the colony
The Circle rules your life

Now, now! Don′t run out of breath
Don't feel surrounded by death, no
Take the wheel, this could be your chance, in a spiral of ants
False bugs, you′ll soon be alone
See how they drop like a stone
You're free now forever to dance in a spiral of ants

Now you remember where you came from (From a spiral of ants)
Now you remember where you're going (To a spiral of ants)
You′ve got to keep it flowing
You are one ant
(Over, over, over)
Over and over
The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony
Consuming the colony
Creating its own gravity
Before we knew it we became a hurricane
And the bugs who laughed got blown away

As we proclaimed:
The Circle rules your life

Overall Meaning

The song "Spiral of Ants" by Lemon Demon is a metaphorical representation of conformity and the loss of individuality. The lyrics refer to the "pheromones" that overwhelm and consume the colony, leading the ants to dance in a never-ending spiral. This can be interpreted as a reflection of societal pressure to conform and fit in, where people feel compelled to follow the crowd without questioning it. The "Circle" that "rules your life" could represent the status quo or the dominant culture that controls people's thoughts and behaviors.

The lyrics encourage the listener to take control of their life and not let others step on their hands in the spiral of ants. The false bugs that drop like a stone could be those who give in to the pressure to conform, while the true bugs that laugh in your face represent those who stand up for themselves and resist the conformity. The song ends on a hopeful note, suggesting that it is possible to break free from the spiral and become an individual again.

Overall, "Spiral of Ants" is a thought-provoking and evocative song that captures the struggles of individuality and conformity in society.

Line by Line Meaning

Over and over
The repetition of the ant's daily routine.

The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony
The irresistible chemical signals released by ants that guide their behavior.

Consuming the colony
The pheromones controlling the ants behavior to focus on the colony.

The Circle rules your life
The queen gives value to the colony's life while dictating the ant's life.

Chop, chop! Don′t want to be late
The urgency to follow the pheromones and maintain their duties in the colony.

Lift up and carry your weight
The importance of an individual in a collective society.

You've got no choice but to dance in a spiral of ants
The ant's way of life, to follow the pheromones and the circle-like patterns of their dance.

True bugs might laugh in your face
Others may mock the ant's way of life and behavior despite their success.

Don′t fret, you're leading the race
The ant remains confident despite criticism because within the colony, they are ahead and leading the way.

Don't let the bastards step on your hands in a spiral of ants
An encouragement to keep going and stay focused despite challenges.

You can′t remember where you came from (In a spiral of ants)
The overwhelming nature of the ant's way of life that may cause them to forget their origin.

You can′t remember where you're going (In a spiral of ants)
A lack of purpose beyond the repetitive cycle of the ant's lives.

You can′t remember knowing
The ant's tendency to follow the pheromones without question or thought.

You are one ant
The collective identity of the ants as individuals of the colony.

Over, it's over
The end of the ant's life cycle.

The pheromones, the self-avoiding odyssey
The ant's journey following the pheromones, avoiding their own demise.

Creating its own gravity
The influence of the ant's behavior on its surrounding environment.

Before we knew it we became a hurricane
The ants' collective behavior as a force to be reckoned with.

And the bugs who laughed got blown away
Those who underestimated the power of the ants were proven wrong.

As we proclaimed:
The pride and confidence of the ant colony.

The Circle rules your life
Repeating the earlier point about the queen ant dictating the colony's behavior.

Contributed by Keira O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@bigfool5177

5y↑902

Over and over
The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony
Consuming the colony
The Circle rules your life
Chop, chop! Don't want to be late
Lift up and carry your weight
You've got no choice but to dance in a spiral of ants
True bugs might laugh in your face
Don't fret, you're leading the race
Don't let the bastards step on your hands in a spiral of ants
You can't remember where you came from (In a spiral of ants)
You can't remember where you're going (In a spiral of ants)
You can't remember knowing
You are one ant
Over, it's over
The pheromones, the self-avoiding odyssey
Consuming the colony
The Circle rules your life
Now, now! Don't run out of breath
Don't feel surrounded by death, no
Take the wheel, this could be your chance, in a spiral of ants
False bugs, you'll soon be alone
See how they drop like a stone
You're free now forever to dance in a spiral of ants
Now you remember where you came from (From a spiral of ants)
Now you remember where you're going (To a spiral of ants)
You've got to keep it flowing
You are one ant
(Over, over, over)
Over and over
The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony
Consuming the colony
Creating its own gravity
Before we knew it we became a hurricane
And the bugs who laughed got blown away
As we proclaimed:
The Circle rules your life

@microsoftp_aint186

3y↑4

lyrics because i cant find any other comments lmao

Over and over
The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony
Consuming the colony
The Circle rules your life
Chop, chop! Don't want to be late
Lift up and carry your weight
You've got no choice but to dance in a spiral of ants
True bugs might laugh in your face
Don't fret, you're leading the race
Don't let the bastards step on your hands in a spiral of ants
You can't remember where you came from (In a spiral of ants)
You can't remember where you're going (In a spiral of ants)
You can't remember knowing
You are one ant
Over, it's over
The pheromones, the self-avoiding odyssey
Consuming the colony
The Circle rules your life
Now, now! Don't run out of breath
Don't feel surrounded by death, no
Take the wheel, this could be your chance, in a spiral of ants
False bugs, you'll soon be alone
See how they drop like a stone
You're free now forever to dance in a spiral of ants
Now you remember where you came from (From a spiral of ants)
Now you remember where you're going (To a spiral of ants)
You've got to keep it flowing
You are one ant
(Over, over, over)
Over and over
The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony
Consuming the colony
Creating its own gravity
Before we knew it we became a hurricane
And the bugs who laughed got blown away
As we proclaimed:
The Circle rules your life

All comments from YouTube:

@nyantend0

4y↑1.4K

This song is the musical equivalent of when you’re about to cry but you’re not there yet and you can’t bring yourself to do it.

@Kazooples

2y↑49

Oh wow, you put it into words. You’re so right, especially with the vocal strain at the end.

@ostrich3335

2y↑7

So true

@spoQns

2y↑3

nah this is just a banger

@qwertyuiop.lkjhgfdsa

2y↑1

oof

@ricecooker7037

1y↑17

The quivering lip and shaky breathing but you can’t break, not yet, not after so much, I genuinely feel that mental pep talk that you know isn’t gonna help, and you just sit there without even knowing whether or not you’ll cry.

15 More Replies...

@andresi2002

5y↑2.4K

The spiral of ants, or death spiral, is when, up to almost an entire colony of ants, all get lost and follow the one in front of them. This creates a spiral of ants following each other until they die

@LunaPhobos

5y↑207

Jesus, that’s dark.

@terrowincheeseman5228

5y↑179

hhhhhhh :((( that makes me feel so sad knowing what this song is based on and how slow and melancholy it sounds

@lubo1540

5y↑24

29 More Replies...

@bigfool5177

5y↑902

@beejkenny

5y↑22

Let's get this to the top real qwik

@bigfool5177

5y↑43

Bela Kenneth hell yeah gay rights

@frescopino7866

5y↑22

@@bigfool5177 said gay rights

@naiknaik8812

4y↑6

@@beejkenny oh ok

@dwarpmunder

4y↑22

Damn. I had not realized how poetic this song is. What a good read.

3 More Replies...

@CosmicVoid_S

4y↑730

This song is so beautiful and macabre, it makes me feel emotions I can't fully describe, or even undestand. It puts me in some sort of trance that feels amazing and horrible at the same time. Like being content but melancholy. Like fully accepting and becoming zen to your own death. Like beautiful tears. Like being brainwashed into numbness. It's addicting in the strangest way.

@atlas3783

4y↑4

agreed

@scooter5133

4y↑4

Yes

@lugiaanimates

3y↑36

this is a gorgeous wway to describe the emotions this song can instill

@tokiWren

3y↑19

you have joined the spiral of ants

@DiegoKHR

3y↑9

Neil cicieraga is a genius, thats why

8 More Replies...

@americandonut8274

3y↑586

"Please, just let me sing about bugs that don't matter."
Neil please this song has literally changed my entire life I haven't killed an ant in a long time because of this

@musicplaylists6718

1y↑29

I wish I was as strong as you. I'm an ant serial killer.

@clemclemclemclemcl

1y↑17

your comment has pushed me to whenever i’m listening to this song outside, i will destroy any ants that dare to come across my path

@LeGoodMusica23

1y↑9

@@clemclemclemclemcl that's a little cruel isn't it

5 More Replies...

@TheCheese06z

7y↑725

the line "before we knew it/ we became/ a hurricane" LITERALLY knocks me off my ass

@TheCheese06z

7y↑92

Charles Vernon idk the rising crescendo of it the emotion maybe idk I'm not a music scientist

@atleaugust6238

6y↑28

i could have written this comment on my own word for word and fucked up sad cat is my favourite picture on line op im kin with you

@whatthehelliot

3y↑19

same man. I feel like I've been taken out of my body and then dropped

@livefortheafternoon

3y↑19

4:06 thank me later

@toasteethetoaster5978

2y↑15

I ascend to heaven for those three seconds of musical bliss

2 More Replies...

@Carmenifold

5y↑231

that "HURICAAAAAIIIIIIINNNNEEEE" gets me in the soul every time. and the throat. wish i had a better vocal range

@could_possiblybe_thane07echo

38w↑1

Same, however when I'm singing his songs out loud every once and a while helps expand ma range

@hx0ad5

5y↑795

i like how you can take this song literally or metaphorically and it's just as meaningful either way. same for most of the songs on spirit phone tbh. also the intro to this song gives me the weirdest feeling i love it

@momotech7648

5y↑53

this whole song gives me the weirdest feeling. so weirdly chilling

@kevinwillems8720

51w↑2

I mean yeah. Like that's why it's so great, it's got layers, intentional and non.

@sal5417

5y↑569

When I first listened to this album on Spotify I kept skipping over this song because it’s slow start and I regret it so much this song is so beautiful and now it’s my favorite on the entire album

@violathepoodle-roo7492

5y↑29

That's why after I listen to like three of them I stopped skipping them cuz they surprise you so I just came to expect and not regret

@chalkdrawn133

4y↑19

I DID THE SAME THING

@vz2428

4y↑14

I hope you learned the lesson

@starrynight1165

4y↑22

I usually hate slow songs, so i did the same thing, but then i listened to it for more than two seconds and this is great! It has enough bang to it to keep me engaged!

@smileyfacegr6691

2y↑3

it's always the songs that you skip that are utter bops

3 More Replies...

@nicomameo5701

4y↑229

This is the first song to ever actually make me feel sad. I don't know why, but this song being at the end of the album and starting back at Lifetime Achievement Award, for some reasons holds a """deeper meaning""" then repeating life. The whole album expressing different ways of dying/life (being revived from the dead, engulfed in a honey casket, etc.), all of which have such different tones just make this feel more surreal then the lyrics already are. Spiral of Ants probably makes me feel this sort of sadness due to the ants not being able to stop going in a circle, just like when you start life, there's no turning back until death occurs (no this isn't some "totally deep moment", i'm just saying life continues until the end). The whole cheerful, yet sad tone to this song just makes it so DAMN genius and beautiful.

No words can actually express how creative/impressive Neil is when it comes to writing these songs. I'm so happy i was able to find his music and experience what not many people do, due to him being such a small artist. Thank you Neil.

@Bubbly_Dragon

3y↑19

There's the small details too. The first word of the first song in the album is 'die', and the last word in the last song is 'life'. The last song is about cycles and loops, and it has a transition back to the first song, which is about resurrection

@enzoponce1881

2y↑6

I know i'm 2 years late but Neil literally said that he found an article about ants in wikipedia at 3 am and decided to write a song about it, there's no meaning in the song except the fact that it's about ants

@muresic2948

1y↑5

@@enzoponce1881 it can be both, the silly ant thing could have prompted the song but then been elaborated on to have a deeper meaning

@Brush421

1y↑1

@@enzoponce1881 how creatively limiting. what's wrong with speculation?

@kevinwillems8720

On some level I see it as "You can't escape capitalism, even through death."

1 More Replies...

@mooncrime4998

5y↑646

this song is so much better now that i know what it's about. it's about an ant mill (a phenomenon where a group of ants lose track of the pheromone trail back to their colony and end up following one another in a circle until they die of exhaustion) from the perspective of a single ant, and how they're being laughed at by other bugs.
but they'll show those bugs- they'll become a *hurricane*.
it's like, sad and triumphant and bittersweet.

and then from there you could kind of surmise something like a social commentary, right? on the experience of being one person, powerless against the inertia of a society eating its own tail; eventually, faced with despair, choosing to lean into the delusion that this circular activity is productive, something to be proud of, a triumph over the critics.
it's possible i'm reading too much into it, but keep in mind this is on an album with Angry People, a song that doesn't shy away at all from pointing out the desperation behind our country's insistence that "EVERYTHING'S COMPLETELY NORMAL!" so i wouldn't be surprised if there were some more esoteric forms of social/political commentary peppered throughout.
regardless of explicit authorial intent, i think it's a deeply meaningful song on top of being a complete slapper.
(Edit: punctuation)

@korvincarry3268

4y↑40

I have noticed a lot of social commentary in this entire album and more. Like you say, maybe I am reading too much into it, but it really is uncanny how similar the songs are to real life issues, and the word choice certainly does not help.

But, that just kind of proves how much of a lyrical genius Neil is.

@starrynight1165

4y↑5

Is that quote from BFB 12? The "Everything's completely normal!" Quote? It probably isn't, but just making sure?

@joshuading764

4y↑32

Absolutely spot-on.
There's a definite vibe that the ants are in a kind of death cult: literallt being told to "not feel surrounded by death", and that they're "leading the way" in pointless self-sacrifice. The idea of that sort of mentality consuming an entire colony (ie: society) definitely feels parallel to a lot of modern society.

(hint hint: the spiral is capitalism, and the dying is from global warming)

@philiphart4146

3y↑20

@@joshuading764 I think you're ignoring the most interesting part of the song; the ambiguity in it.
In the song's first half, the ants are marching in an endless circle and dying, and the "true bugs" (which include aphids, assassin bugs, and bed-bugs: many of which swarm, many of which suck nutrients from their prey and hollow them out, and none of which are colonial like ants) laugh at them for mindlessly and pointlessly killing themselves. But in the second half of the song, the spirits of the ants, moving in their endless circle, become a mighty hurricane that wipes out the true bugs while the ants eternally exist in their "pointless" circle. So, the song can be considered to be about the nature of society in its entirety.
Society can be profoundly alienating and feel pointless- for people to exist in society, they must self-censor and get along with others as much as possible, and often have to put the desires of the group above their own wants. We often feel like we're just blindly marching in circles, blind to our origin or destination, going nowhere, until we eventually die. Furthermore, even if we wanted to change the things that we feel cause this, we can't; we're just one person against millions. It sometimes seems like the "true bugs", who take without giving and put their own needs above all else, have the right idea.
But in society, we continue to live after we die- our actions, our feelings, our relationships all ripple out from ourselves as part of the great six-degree circle that connects all seven billion of us. We are moved by the actions and feelings of every human who has ever lived, and move every human that will live from now on with our own actions and feelings, and those will be our legacy for all time. And our seemingly-pointless individual actions, moving in our pointless little circles, can become something far greater, sweeping beyond ourselves outwards and allowing us to do things that the "true bugs" can never understand- because they don't understand that the mighty elemental hurricane and the insipid, suicidal ant mill are the same thing.
There's a fascinating dualism to many of the songs on this album that prevents easy interpretations.

@upthestairs

3y↑16

A preface to this is that Neil literally said he writes about things with room for metaphor without thinking too deeply about it and this is a song about ant mills.
That said, this is the bleakest song on the album to me since so much of the verses map neatly onto the rhetoric of capitalism and the American Dream.
You can make it! Don’t listen to the concerns of those less fortunate you, they’re just gross bugs trying to drag you down. If you work hard you can make a better life for yourself and your family.
Unspoken in this is that you can’t attain real freedom since you’re stuck inside the self-perpetuating system. You can’t change it, you’re only one ant. You could break out of the spiral at any time but good luck convincing everyone else. This is the way we’ve always done it. It works, why would you change it!
Anyway, look forward to my video essay about how the last five tracks of Spirit Phone are a breadpill about the darkest horror of all: global capitalism!

8 More Replies...

@drago1514

5y↑1.8K

Guys I cant believe Neil invented ants

@cucuycharles

4y↑10

Yes

@glorytoukraine5890

4y↑7

@@cucuycharles Yes

@cucuycharles

4y↑6

@@glorytoukraine5890 yes

@glorytoukraine5890

4y↑5

@@cucuycharles Yes

@masterball778

4y↑1

yis

45 More Replies...

@thescooshinator

45w↑3

I find this song really calming. I feel like it could one of those relaxing songs you play while driving through a city at night, where that all just perfectly combines to make you feel really calm, relaxed and content.

@randomlafourche

45w↑5

The verses go so hard. Like they're in this hushed tone, they feel condensending, just playing with you. I love the pauses before "in a spiral of ants" its so eerie

@suboxonesmuggler

1y↑12

neil: let me sing about meaningless bugs please

audience: no this is so meaningful also I'm crying also I'm playing this at my wedding

@exildesert

They’re required in the ecosystem so not rlly meaningless

@nisskep7033

3y↑134

The "over-over-over-o-o-o-o-o" at 3:35 is the closest Neil has ever sounded to mainstream modern pop music I think, save for his mashup albums

@annette222

2y↑17

I love the part after that goes "over and over the pheromones the overwhelming harmony consuming the colony"

@river_brook

5y↑158

man this song really feels like a crowd cheerfully walking in a spiral to their deaths

@worm.7767

3y↑20

I mean, it's about when that happens to ants

@GareginRA

4y↑253

I was just looking for 'ant death spiral' videos and this popped up. I have no idea what this band is, but damn, sounds awesome!

@Cabesandia

4y↑75

It's a single guy if I recall correctly.

@everestlol4309

3y↑6

@@Cabesandia yeah

@RadioJosiah

3y↑56

Neil Cicierega. He is a legendary internet artist. Lemon Demon. Hyakugojuuichi!!! Brodyquest. Potter Puppet Pals. The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny. Mouth Sounds. What's Dylan Grillin'? The list goes on.

@JustSaturn

2y↑36

One of us, one of us, one of us…

@slizzlejizzle408

2y↑7

this dude is great

10 More Replies...

@CassPass73

4y↑329

One time i made my friend listen to this, it was really awkward because this song makes me cry so half way through it i just started crying and yelling "T HE AN T S THE POO R LI TT L E A N T S!!!"

@oceanman7176

3y↑16

shame; good thing ants suck

@hardlyanydiggity3953

2y↑9

go to hollywood is probably the only lemon demon song that will ever make me cry

@giygaswashere2808

2y↑5

@@oceanman7176 ants are super important tho

@qwertyuiop.lkjhgfdsa

2y↑5

@@giygaswashere2808 then maybe they should stop being tiny and easily killable. ever thought abt that

@billymkj2763

1y↑1

@@qwertyuiop.lkjhgfdsa you trolling?

@BluButBetterEachDay

1y↑5

4:28 the ending part seems heavenly to me

@emilyd7528

8y↑613

This song flows into lifetime achievement award creating an endless album loop

@auto7065

7y↑135

a circle

@beezerboy94

7y↑208

A spiral

@ShadaOfAllThings

7y↑155

of ants

@jonahboan

7y↑55

Wait no way you're right! The detail Neil adds is amazing

@rosevevoswag

6y↑37

A lot of the songs in the album transition into eachother.

12 More Replies...

@HandFetis

3y↑87

If you were to listen to them back to back, A Spiral Of Ants actually transitions to Lifetime Achievement Award, the first song on Spirit Phone. So, it's like a spiral (of ants)

@smileyfacegr6691

2y↑9

and we are the ants

@cmtcomet

1y↑7

it's kind of a "cheaty" loop though. the only reason they're connected is because the are a few seconds of white noise at the end of this and the beginning of lifetime achievement award

@gecked8560

38w↑2

@@cmtcomet I think the cheaty loop works in the context of the album though. At the end of Spiral of Ants, we kind of hear the last hurrah of the ants with the sort of ceremonious trumpets, leading to the white noise which I'd interpret as death because lifetime achievement award is about revival, and seeing as we're listening to the song from the perspective of the revived celebrity, we begin the song dead.

@frefer1386

5y↑156

If you don't know this song is about the phenomenon of the ant death spiral, essentially whole colonies of ants "glitch" out sometimes and just walk in circles until they die. This is due to the pheromones of the ants, usually used to lead ants to food they've found, not working as intended.

This has been ant facts with me, you're welcome.

@frescopino7866

5y↑6

Wow, thanks Skitter! So cool!

@momotech7648

5y↑58

holy shit i got chills three times in rapid succession from this

"Before we knew it / we became / a hurricane"
sent me through a loop, what an absolute experience that was

@calebsarnowski1010

2y↑5

I like how this song can either be interpreted as a serious critique of society, or a neat little song about a bunch of ants dying

@fops.5178

1y↑6

i discovered this song during the worst period of my life, but i loved it. now that im better, listening to it now, it hits so much harder

@Dr_E_Yekley

5y↑45

Considering that this is a song about blind ants running around in circles until they die, I actually consider this to be a really good song to run to.

@axollworm5370

3y↑78

This hits differently when your trying to navigate a pitch black room while listening to it

@slizzlejizzle408

2y↑6

that would actually be really surreal.

@ricecooker7037

2y↑1

I wanna see a frantic maze scene in a movie with this playing over it now,

@RavenDarknyte

5y↑200

As much as this song fills me with existential dread, it sure does slap!

Leave it to neil cic to turn yet another funky natural phenomenon into a bop

@crowthebro

3y↑2

neil cic

@fawndeu

3y↑1

neil cic

5 More Replies...

@whatthehelliot

3y↑52

ok this is going to sound weird but this kinda makes me think of the children's ward that I spend a lot of time in. because we're sick kids, people die fairly regularly, but we are just used to it. however, this song always makes me remember all the people that I've seen learn and grow until they run out of time or luck, and it takes me out every time. it's kinda cathartic, I guess. I love the lyric 'you're free now, forever to dance, in a spiral of ants.' i hope they're all up there somewhere, dancing in their spiral of ants. I miss you guys.

@emilyjoh

36w↑3

Hope you're doing ok man

@francescobicci3314

22w↑1

This is devastating, hope you're doing ok

@clemclemclemclemcl

1y↑9

4:10 I LOVE HIS VOCALS SO MUCH HERE!!

@jackjaws

5y↑128

I would kill to hear this in the credits of the next Ant-Man movie

@thegreendragon9628

3y↑2

👀

@normanclatcher

3y↑8

Ant Man: Follow Me Home

@NOTZABOLA

34w

Bro same

@Veninax

7y↑492

I feel like this song masters the themes of discovering one's identity and taking control of one's own life. It's also about a spiraling hurricane of ants, which is nice too.

I guess only Neil could make a song that's both familiar and conceptually really out there.

@the_echoYT

7y↑66

The "spiral of ants" is actually an ant mill. A phenomenon where blind army ants are separated from the foraging party, losing the pheromone track. This causes them to follow each other, running in circles until they all die.

@jonahboan

7y↑1

+The_Echo Is this supposed to be a metaphor for something?

@the_echoYT

7y↑48

I think the song employs it as a metaphor for daily life in the modern world.

@jonahboan

+The_Echo Ah, I see.

@PoseRocks

6y↑30

I interpret it as a metaphor for cyclical consumption under capitalism, which will continue on until we all die from climate change or systemic / economic collapse.

14 More Replies...

@DIA--_

1y↑5

This song reminds me depression. Sometimes it feels like all the days are repeating. You’re accomplishing nothing and doing only as everyone else is over and over again. You’re desperate for an end to the dullness of everything.

@omegascrub

4y↑208

Neil really ended the album with: Change Da World... My Final Message

@normanclatcher

3y↑18

Goodbye. . .

*Windows 95 startup sound*

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@beepboop83

5y↑60

This reminds me of the lullaby my mom used to sing to me as a child, but way more existential. I really really like it

@ivorefujoshis8919

3y↑4

I like your pfp

@S.U.T.D

39w↑2

Words can't describe how much I love this song and Neil in general. None.
I'd have to put it in lyrics.

@GarbbCan

2y↑2

This track is honestly so overlooked, that ending bit and the outro are definitely some of the best parts of the album

@Syntheticus_

1y↑4

This is my favourite song. We are all just ants in a spiral of time. I will dance to this in my final days . I will imagine everyone iv ever met and loved, sat in a stadium watching me dance to it and it will be glorious.

@ZacharySchultedotcom

5y↑97

When Neil said 'chop chop' and chopped the beat, I spilled my drank

@liketrainslol420funni

30w↑3

Why did a song about ants genuinely give me chills? 💀

@alchemizedlemniscat3

2y↑3

I haven't listened to this song in a year yet I still know all the lyrics

@ricecooker7037

2y↑7

To express emotion through the strangest things, that’s called art.

@CodeNameX001

2y↑2

God, that high note he hits on the last chorus!

Chills, every time!

@cecil9556

3y↑28

My friends never shut the fuck up about this song whenever it plays. They play it in groovy bot and all 5 of them are just shouting the lyrics in the chat at the same time. I love my friends

@cecil9556

3y↑7

THE PHERAMONES

@Anaea

1y↑3

@@cecil9556 CONSUMING THE COLONY

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@justaclownhonkhonk7941

1y↑7

I legit cried to this song the first time i heard it. <3

@ComTlancy_

6y↑139

God, I can just imagine seeing this album live. GOLDEN. SHIT.

@lk8114

5y↑14

I want

@ClFUR

4y↑28

imagine Neil singing and the audience fucking screaming "before we knew it we became a hurricane"
I'd cry

@Capatat

3y↑9

gimme gimme

@i_am_def1nitely_not_a_b1cycle

3y↑10

When you're sad, you understand the lyrics.
When you're happy, you also understand the lyrics

@whatthewhatthe9117

3y↑16

I like playing this song while on a cookie clicker session; while it has nothing to do with cookies, it really captures that existential dread vibe of everlasting grind and tribulation culminating into the destruction of the world

@CAKE_404

2y↑6

im in my room litsening this at full volume with earbuds while eating cheesecake this is the peak of life

@axollworm5370

3y↑16

I love this song because it genuinely makes me cry even though it’s literally just a song about ants going in a circle

@werlder

7y↑469

"Before we knew it, we became a hurricane"

Beautiful.

@scooter5133

4y↑2

Yes

@orbcat1790

3y↑2

@@scooter5133 yes

@Capatat

3y↑1

@@orbcat1790 yes

@qwertyuiop.lkjhgfdsa

@@Capatat yes

@roxieieieie

2y↑6

as much as i love soft fuzzy man, this is hands down the best song on spirit phone imo

@dogmeattamale

5y↑66

This song bops real hard but makes me real sad, it’s everything I wanted

@MannyNamiro

41w↑3

"You can't remember where you came from
You can't remember where you're going
You can't remember knowing"
This got me, man. I'm crying like a bitch over here.

@ElijahsXbl00d

2y↑2

This is my favorite song from Spirit Phone along with Touch-tone Telephone, cry about it

Edit: "Earn My Life", "Man-Made Object", and "Eighth Wonder" are now my favorites.

@vmmybeloved

3y↑20

This song gives me EXTREME chills everytime i listen to it. its fucking perfect oh my god

@rottie6943

2y↑5

i’ve listened to this album probably a thousand times and this still makes me emotional every listen, especially the outro

@Stop.Turn.Leave.

3y↑70

Youtube destroyed comments on Topic videos so I jumped onto this video to see people's opinions. I decided recently to play albums at night while I'm scrolling the internet and Spirit Phone was one of them. Finally, tonight was the night I actually LISTEN listened to this song and realized it was a metaphor. A melancholy metaphor even though I didn't fully understand it. And I wish I could've seen the comments on that video to see if folks felt what I felt but I see now in this comment section that it wasn't just me. I listened to this album because I liked Touch Tone Telephone and Cabinet Man but this song is definitely a top favorite now.

@urmom-zh6zs

2y↑5

neil lives in fear of you. just let him sing about bugs

@NeoAngeluu

5y↑101

Great song to listen during mental breakdown. Would cry again.

@redmantis3336

3y↑9

Just did that, awesome

@narell5383

2y↑5

Happens to be exactly what’s going on for me as I’m typing this

@Xesh

5y↑25

I still think this is probably his most beautiful work yet.

@Reaganridleysgf

nah its two trucks

@erinlopez5344

5y↑99

This song is so powerful oh my goodness
it just screams "you're gonna be okay!" vibes and I love it so much
my new favorite song

@nothere5378

5y↑24

I can't tell if you getting a positive impression from this song means that you're missing something or that the rest if us are

@erinlopez5344

5y↑11

@@nothere5378 it's hard to say, really.

I guess we all tend to see what we want to see. Personally, I think it's about eventually getting the hang of shit after being lost all your life.

Of course, life doesn't magically stay the same once you overcome something. It goes down, and up, then back down again and so on. At the time I felt very in control of my life, so I saw it as conquering whatever obstacles get in your way and trudging along because there's at least something worth seeing at the end of that long, dark and lonely tunnel.

@BebxOfficial

4y↑6

i hope you realise this song is based on ant death spirals

@michaelmurdock9856

4y↑4

Erin Lopez you take what you want but the song’s basically about the inevitability of death. Ant’s spirals are when a colony gets confused and just marches in a circle until they all die

@enharmonics

3y↑3

Depressingly, the actual intended meaning of the song is the exact opposite of what you’re describing. It’s a natural phenomenon of ant death spirals described from an individual perspective. It’s about being caught up in something meaningless that everyone else is doing and getting so lost in it that you convince yourself it has purpose when in reality you are only working yourselves to futile deaths.

2 More Replies...

@radioactivesnowball

5y↑22

This song... woo. I get like shivers at the point when he says "we became a hurricane" because it just, it sounds so beautiful and It's so unique.

@Phazonmines2319

7y↑31

The lyrics perfectly reflect the time. I love you, Neil. Fucking genius, as always.

@cy-bernet-ix

3y↑15

this song, true to the infinite death loop theme, leads right back into LAA. I like to imagine that this is one of the ants being revived, only to, over time, start his own spiral.

@Possibly_A_Llama

1y↑2

Let's all take a moment to appreciate the bass at the end.

@Saffron-mb8mp

4y↑6

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
V1- 00:28
V2- 01:12
V3- 01:30
V4- 01:51

@lapisfengari2428

4y↑26

This song makes me feel emotions that don't exist

@mmmulder

3y↑3

just discovered this. damn good stuff

@Cabesandia

4y↑10

Not gonna lie, this became my favourite song of all time.

@crowMilatonin

3y↑7

Back in the summer of 2020, my friends would visit. They still visit now, but not nearly as much.
It was much warmer then. Occasionally, we’d take long walks down the street. It didn’t seem very long to us, but we’d always end up miles away from my house. And while we walked, I played this song.
Because of that, I always think of that when I hear this. I think of the shitty jokes I made with them. The houses we passed. The forest we walked in. The smell of grass. The sound of bluejays. The passing of cars, which we’d wave to. The breaks we’d have every so often, sitting next to the road and chatting. The occasional animals we found.
It’s a great feeling.

@pepis652

5y↑459

why does a song about ants make me emotional

@Pomstan

4y↑56

You feel the meaning without even realizing it

@elijahdage5523

4y↑15

It's a metaphor for where you believe your own life is going.

@starrynight1165

4y↑10

Its sorta melancholy, isnt it?

@reganomix-

Elijah Dage ahhhhhhhh

@ThetiniestconductorAwesome

4y↑14

Good to know im not the only one crying over ants

13 More Replies...

@_.Dylan._

3y↑11

Rest In Peace to all the ant homies that had to die like this, it honestly is a really sad way to go

@spiritofchaos58

6y↑301

I could listen to him say "BEFORE WE KNEW IT WE BECAME. A HURRICANE!!!!!!" for days

@drago1514

5y↑9

This song gives me goosebumps it goes so hard

@jacel987

2y↑7

4:27 The drums, the vocals, the BASS, what an amazing outro damn

@infinillac3683

3y↑12

One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard came from the same guy who did Two Trucks and Potter Puppet Pals.

@nemmeton

2y↑4

this song is genuinely one of the most beautiful pieces of art i have ever had the joy of discovering.

@slakmansauce3390

2y↑5

This is the kind of music that touches your soul.

@supersmashbro596

41w↑2

the faint humming that picks up at the end of the song really gives a feeling of sadness as the ants in the spiral slowly begin to die as they march.

@ashandpikachurules

4y↑4

I always forget how much the bass in this song kicks until I hear it again

@timeparadox888

4y↑83

if you went back in time to 15th century europe and showed this to the guy who invented danse macabre he'd just nod and say "pretty much"

@scooter5133

4y↑6

Lol

1 More Replies...

@acronscawlernc6697

3y↑44

A song that emulates the sound of marching ants, the hypnotic pattern of a spiral and a growing thunderstorm,
All while serving as an ambiguous metaphor with no clear solution.
The inevitability of death,
Cult mentality,
Capitalism,
Existentialism,
All possible meanings but none are confirmed. And perhaps that's for the best.
Easily the most underrated song on the album.

@funnylittlecreature

Definitely.

@cricketzkorner

3y↑7

Bugs go weee

@greenbookreclaim2471

2y↑5

Felt this one today. Procrastinating, taking up everything elss but the job you were given because it felt natural and unregretable in that forever moment. You are going to get to it after all, don't stress.
⬜🐜🐜⬜
🐜⬜⬜🐜
🐜⬜⬜🐜
⬜🐜🐜⬜
Ant circle lol.

@greenbookreclaim2471

p.s - Don't be ant. But maybe ant isn't so bad.

@awildocelot5609

4y↑14

i want to fall asleep to this song, and be left in a dreamscape. unable to worry about what happens out here. in my mind, ill be happy.

@microsoftp_aint186

3y↑4

@SharkyDaddy

4y↑35

Me, listening to this song for the nth time in a row: OVER AND OVER

@egon3705

22w

god the best part of this song is that its concept doesn't even need to be a metaphor to be soul-crushing in the best way possible

@sophiethegreat9

5y↑27

this song didn’t prepare me for the actual brutal hyperspeed of ant death spirals

@yoshikagekira812

2y↑2

You ever just hear a song and you're like
"Now that's a good song to end an album

@nyssalikesbugs

2y↑4

i wish the synth line reduced to a background instrument was a bit louder, its so so so so nice

@CasseroleBlast

5y↑33

A must listen with headphones kind of song

@lessThanEight

5y↑6

this song feels like sleep inertia hangover while staring out of a rainy window and then it feels like... standing in the rain, looking up at the sky and feeling the rain hit your face. and you just. close your eyes. like.... "fuck it. this is what i am meant to be doing on this planet."

@-AAA-147

7y↑101

This song is oddly beautiful.

@blarg2429

5y↑2

no u

@funnylittlecreature

2y↑2

Yeah, yeah, I know. He just wants to write about bugs. But this holds more meaning to me. Such is art.

@cathacker13

3y↑4

This song fits so well as the last on the album

@reddmonger

3y↑3

this is the most perfect ending to this album

@ntgm8

5y↑75

I love how the end fades to the beginning of the first track

@DuckTimes2

5y↑13

Endless, like a spiral.

@tedective4427

5y↑10

You can't die in the Spiral; the others won't allow your matter to go to waste.

This is our Lifetime Achievement Award. :,(

@tankboy2007

4y↑4

This is a bop and it makes me somewhat calm, just to keep on going and stop worrying

@rainwatering

2y↑4

i had completely forgotten what this song sounds like and needless to say i was quite perplexed by the sudden loud noise at the beginning of the sound

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