“Ants Marching” by Dave Matthews Band

“Ants Marching” finds the speaker likening people who live monotonously to ants who do the same things over and over. It seems to perfectly capture the 9-to-5 lifestyle which most people are familiar with.

Like real-life ants marching, the song iterates that most people are stuck to a routine lifestyle that hardly brings them true fulfillment. The bridge employs the use of ‘Candyman’ as a metaphor to describe the joys of life such as love and big dreams, which are luxuries or risks most people can’t afford because they are engrossed in maintaining their routine.

“When all the little ants are marching… they all do it the same”

Conclusion

This song describes people who lead a repetitive lifestyle in which they perform the same activities day in day out. And as a result of this, such people never take risks because they are content with their lifestyle.

Production and Writing of “Ants Marching”

This Dave Matthews Band classic features production by Steve Lillywhite and writing by Matthews.

Release Date

On the Twenty-Seventh of 1994, this folk-rock themed classic was released. It was the second single the band released in support of their “Under the Table Dreaming” album. That being said, it should be noted that an earlier version of this song can also be found on an earlier album the band released. This project in question was titled “Remember Two Things”.

“Ants Marching” is a Dave Matthews Band Anthem

Dave Matthews has labeled the song as his band’s anthem since it is often played during their live performances. One of the reasons the band calls this classic their “anthem” is simply because it brought them immense success. For example, it was a top 20 hit for the band in multiple Billboard singles charts, including the “Alternative Songs” charts.