Analyzing a song

I've chosen to analyze Dave Mathew's Band's song "Ants Marching"

The song is very effective. It starts out telling everyday things about someone, and then how his path crosses another person's doing the exact same thing. People doing things without ever getting anything done. "Nothing ever changes, the week ends, the week begins."

Then the same two people, who are married, go to visit his mom. He reverts back to childhood, "laying under the table and dreaming" (which also happens to be the title of their album) and the listener can assume that nothing has changed since then. It doesn't necesarily say specifically, but we can assume that all of his goals have been accomplished, maybe, but it's nothign different than if he had become a superhero like he had dreamed of as a child.

Then the song goes to the population in general. everybody is a "black any" marching, the cars empty out onto the sidewalk and they march. "they all do it the same, they all do it the same way." In otherwords, the world is full of everyone trying to get somewhere, and in the end, being at exactly the same place they had been in the first place. The people who want to go on a diet are still tempted by the "candyman", the business people wanting to stand out still just in a line of other black ants going to the same place.


He wakes up in the morning
Does his teeth bite to eat and hes rolling
Never changes a thing
The week ends the week begins
She thinks, we look at each other
Wondering what the other is thinking
But we never say a thing
And these crimes between us grow deeper

Take these chances
Place them in a box until a quieter time
Lights down, you up and die

Goes to visit his mommy
She feeds him well his concerns he forgets them
And remembers being small
Playing under the table and dreaming

Driving along on this highway
All these cars and upon the sidewalk
People in every direction
No words exchanged, no time to exchange and when
All the little ants are marching
Red and black antennae waving
They all do it the same
They all do it the same way

Candyman tempting the thoughts of a
Sweet tooth tortured by weit loss
Program cutting the corners
Loose end, loose end cut cut
On the fence, not to offend
Cut cut cut cut

Take these chances
Place them in a box until a quieter time
Lights down you up and die
Lights down you up and die