Alice In Chains: The Rooster Meaning
The Rooster Lyrics
Eyes burn with stinging sweat
Seems every path leads me to nowhere
Wife and kids 'n household pet
Army green was no safe bet
The bullets scream to me from somewhere
Yeah they come to snuff the rooster, oh...
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1TOP RATED
anonymous Apr 7th 2008, 14:02 report
My father, Marine Corp Vet in 'nam, explained this to me without an inquiry when we were listening to the song. He said (like 1 out of 100 comments previous) that Rooster was nickname for the M-60 gunner of a platoon. He said they were cocky and had a strut to them (you needed to be cocky as an M-60 threw out heavy fire, but would take heavy fire as well).
His general sentiment was that a Rooster was a bad a$$. He thinks Rooster is an incredible song and thanked me for being into good music back in the day :) -
2TOP RATED
anonymous Apr 22nd 2007, 04:21 report
I agree with the Rooster meaning that squad but I differ in most of everyone's opinion. Jerry's dad did serve in Vietnam and use to tell jerry stories of the horrible things he had seen. The Rooster is symbolic for America. The Marines carried a flag with an eagle on it. No eagles were in Vietnam but they were very active in rooster farming. Therefore, Vietnam soldiers thought the eagle was a rooster so every time they would attack they would say "It's time to snuff the Rooster" or it's time to kill the Americans. When the song says "Yeah they've come to snuff the Rooster. Oh, here comes the Rooster. you know he ain't gonna die." It refers to the Americans fighting back and surviving.
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3TOP RATED
Surfer_Coyote Oct 8th 2007, 14:08 report
I can see why you might see a connection with Carlos Hathcock as being "The Rooster" since his nickname was "White Feather", but I don't think that's what the band intended.
I don't have any references handy, but I do remember reading in a few magazines that "The Rooster" is Jerry's father. Now, that could have a double meaning to it. The articles I read did lay mention to his red hair, and that would definitely be a reason his soldier buddies would nickname him that. If he was indeed an M60 man, then he would likely be the first one to shoot, just like the rooster is the first to crow in the morning.
I think the theories involving the Vietnamese thinking the flag poles or 101 Airborne patches were roosters because they don't have eagles is really stretching it. There are eagles in Vietnam (every continent to be exact, except Antarctica) and one of the more common types of eagles in Southeast Asia is one that looks very much like our bald eagle of North America. -
anonymous Apr 2nd, 05:03 report
the rooster is about a man who thought he was the best in the business, but he was really just another dumb-ass, put in a position of power by some one he did a huge favor for. he ruled supreme over his little empire, and thought no one could touch him. He bad mouthed the wrong person and was immortalized in this song. there's a few people who know the time and place this piece was originally sung, but they won't be talking about it and I am not saying anymore. From the memories of "the man in the box". The true meanings of many alice in chains songs, are so made up they are funny, there is one person who knows it all, and everyone else believing what they've been told, but the truth is, it's all a pack of lies. Isn't it guys? god bless you for your playing of these songs to the world.
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anonymous Jan 14th, 17:42 report
When you fire a long burst from a machine gun, the barrel tends to rise. Since their ammo belts have one tracer round after every four ball (normal) rounds it creates a "rooster tail" effect at night. So M60 gunners often earnes the nickname "rooster "
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anonymous Oct 4th 2012, 05:24 report
This song was written by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his father Jerry Cantrell Sr., who went by the nickname "Rooster" while serving with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Jerry Cantrell has stated that his father, Cantrell, Sr., had this family nickname "Rooster" since childhood due to the way his hair stood up on end as a youth.[2] The "Rooster" nickname is often mistakenly attributed to a reference to men carrying the M60 machine gun (see the second verse, first line), the muzzle flash from which makes an outline or pattern reminiscent of a rooster's tail. It is also often mistakenly attributed to the 101st Airborne Division - in which Cantrell's father served - who wore shoulder sleeve insignia on their arms featuring a bald eagle. As there are no bald eagles in Vietnam, the closest thing to which the Vietnamese could draw a comparison was the chicken, thus leading to the pejorative "chicken men."
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enigmaticang3l Sep 16th 2012, 01:17 report
A real work of art may have a very specific meaning, but appeal to different schools of thought/interpretation in a more universal sense. Rooster is in this caregory.
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anonymous Jul 20th 2012, 11:46 report
Don't everyone forget that a rooster is also an alarm clock (remember the old cartoons where the sun would come out and the rooster would cock-a-doodle-doo). Therefore "snuffing the rooster" is "making sure that you don't wake up in the morning."
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anonymous Jul 11th 2012, 18:49 report
People Look it up you'll find it. Yes it's about a M60 gunner, Yes it's about Vietnam. No it doesn't have anything to do with Vietnamese people calling them chickens. No its not about M60 gunners being cocky. The Rooster was his fathers nickname. The song is about his father. It was the start of their healing process.
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anonymous Jun 10th 2012, 18:31 report
This is what I think the song means. Well the rooster is up at dawn and goes to sleep at dusk. So the soilders were up at dawn and went to sleep at dusk. Thats why no one could snuff the rooster. You know he aint gonna die!
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anonymous Mar 15th 2012, 22:33 report
Also talk to infantry soldiers, not POG's about this kind of shit.
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anonymous Mar 15th 2012, 22:30 report
Ok the rooster nickname for M60 gunners is true but the reasoning is more than the gunners being "cocky" it is given because when firing especially at night the tracer bullets ark in the air, closely resemble the long arched feathers of a rooster tail.
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anonymous Mar 2nd 2012, 00:26 report
the rooster was inspired by layne staleys uncle who was a scout sniper i 'nam. he was given the nickname "the rooster." during one of AIC concerts they brought him out and explained.
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anonymous Feb 27th 2012, 23:53 report
If you listen closely, they actually say, "stuff", not snuff the rooster. Every year, for Thanksgiving, Jerry's family wanted a stuffed,roasted rooster with all the trimmings rather than a turkey. The only problem was that no one wanted to catch, kill and stuff the rooster at Jerry's house, SO every year Jerry's in-laws were invited to Thanksgiving dinner with the understanding that THEY would be responsible for preparing the bird. When they pulled into the driveway Jerry's dad would say, "Here they come to STUFF the rooster." The only problem was that, being non-violent people, the in-laws were reluctant to slaughter the bird SO they devised a method of boring the bird to death. They would tie down the rooster and then they would sit around for hours just analyzing, re-analyzing and over-analyzing stupid songs. Even though the rooster prayed for the sweet release of death or at least someone to stab out his eardrums out with a red-hot poker, neither happened and miraculously the rooster survived. After many years of TV dinners for Thanksgiving, Jerry's dad would see the same routine play out and when he saw them getting out the rope to tie down the bird he would angrily mutter, "You know he ain't gonna die"
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anonymous Dec 18th 2011, 00:10 report
Dr Brian Neil Talarico North Bay Has been convicted of child molestation, an
possession of child pornography on his computer. Sexually molesting a young
boy. He had prior convictions for child molestation in 1990 and 2001. After
his parole in 2006. Dr. Talarico Brian. Works for north east mental health
centre, despite his background, and numerous complaints against him of
abuse, fraud, negligence, and imprisonment. Address: North East Mental
Health Centre, North Bay Campus Highway 11 North North Bay Ontario P1B 8L1,
and now works for Act 2, North Bay. -
anonymous Dec 10th 2011, 23:45 report
Wow. The interpretations I see for AIC songs astounds me. You'd think after the death(s) that people would open their eyes, but I guess not. Of course, not everyone is a recovering addict like myself, but it's obvious (to me) that almost every AIC song is about the grips of heroin addiction...including this song, yes.
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anonymous Sep 13th 2011, 15:59 report
I forgot also "oh god please wont you help me make it through" as in make it until heroin arrives.
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anonymous Sep 13th 2011, 15:54 report
The rooster is their withdrawals from heroin. They hate knowing the rooster is coming but it still comes. They feel as if they are going to die but they know they won't. People bring them drugs to "snuff the rooster"
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anonymous Aug 17th 2011, 20:30 report
He wrote this song for his grandfather who was in 'nam. and rooster is what they called the american troop......
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anonymous Jul 29th 2011, 13:59 report
"The "rooster" refers to Carlos Hath`cock`, marine sniper in Vietnam who got many confirmed kills." No, it does not. Watch the video! There is a picture of Corporal CANTRELL in the video, not Carlos Hathcock.
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anonymous Jul 12th 2011, 13:57 report
Haven't read all of the interpretations but, I know that during the Vietnam war, roosters were used as sentinels,(watchdogs) to let whomever were using them know when the enemy was nearby. One of the tactics used by the special ops was to take out the roosters so that the rest of the troops could get into position for surprise intrusion. I learned this as a kid during the war from my neighbor who was a Green Beret over there.
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anonymous Jun 22nd 2011, 10:53 report
This is just a fact and not an interpretation of the lyrics.
The lyrics state, "Army Green, was no safe bet."
The Army use of the term "Rooster" refered to the position of Forward Observer.
Like a rooster, the FO was someone who went behind enemy lines, got up to a high position, and called in artillery fire from a radio. -
anonymous Apr 18th 2011, 12:46 report
The song is about a boy and his father is over in Vietnam slaughtering the Vietnamese and they nicknamed him the rooster
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The Rooster is considered:
Songs about War
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