The Ants Go Marching Lyrics

A marching counting song set to the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (1860s). Each verse counts up by one — "the little one stops to…" — and finds a rhyme for the number (one/thumb, two/shoe, three/tree). Best for ages 3–7. The song does double duty: it reinforces counting from one to ten and trains rhyming, a key pre-reading skill, because children quickly start predicting the rhyme that matches each number. The built-in marching action adds gross-motor movement and steady-beat practice, which research links to better self-regulation and rhythm perception. March in a circle and hold up the matching number of fingers each verse to combine math, music, and movement. For more counting songs, see our [best counting songs for preschoolers](/blog/best-counting-songs-preschoolers) and [top 20 counting songs for kids](/blog/top-20-counting-songs-for-kids).

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
And they all go marching down,
To the ground, to get out, of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching two by two,
The little one stops to tie his shoe,
And they all go marching down,
To the ground, to get out, of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching three by three,
The little one stops to climb a tree,
And they all go marching down,
To the ground, to get out, of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!