Well, yesterday I received an email from Kate Wolff, first grade teacher at the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning in Denver. Her students had read Nora's story and responded by writing new lyrics for this old song, informed by their own study of ants. The lyrics are brilliant. The lyrics are amazing. The lyrics took my breath away.
Here, with their permission to post, the new and improved version of "The Ants Go Marching Two by Two."
The Ants Go Digging
A scientifically correct version of “The Ants Go Marching” by Kate’s Crew
The ants go digging one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging one by one,
Then one emits a pheromone
And they all follow the smell down, underground
To get into the chamber
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging two by two, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging two by two, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging two by two,
Their colony is like a crew
And they cooperate
In all they do
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging three by three, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging three by three, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging three by three
Their feet are called their tarsi
And they use them to climb trees
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging four by four, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging four by four, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging four by four,
The army ants might go to war
If other colonies attack
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging five by five, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging five by five, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging five by five
They hide away to stay alive
Avoiding predators (and rain)
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging six by six, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging six by six, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging six by six
The nurse ants give the larvae licks
To keep them moist and clean
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging seven by seven
They have two stomachs in their abdomen
And one is called a crop!
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging eight by eight, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging eight by eight, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging eight by eight,
In the winter they hibernate
Deep down under the ground
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging nine by nine,
They leave the nest in a line
To forage for their food
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ants go digging ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go digging ten by ten,
The queen ant lays some eggs again
And the life cycle never ends
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Thank you, Kate's Crew! I told them I only wished Nora were a real person, instead of a character I invented, so I could send these lyrics to her directly. How pleased she would be!
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