Alice In Chains: The Rooster Meaning

The Rooster Lyrics

Ain’t found a way to kill me yet
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...

1. anonymous

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   Feb 27th 2009 !⃝

   this song is about the guitarist's father who served in vietnam. his fathers nickname was the rooster, and he survived everything that was thrown at him. in the beginning of the video, he is talking about what all happened.
2. anonymous

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   Dec 17th 2008 !⃝

   All I know is I saw Jerry Cantrell in concert in Dallas after Lane Stanley's death and he said "I want to bring someone out on stage for the next song. It's my dad. But everyone just calls him "The Rooster".
3. usmc50killer

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   Nov 12th 2008 !⃝

   Ok retards, if you're not in the military then you probably don't know the real meaning of the song. His father, Corporal Cantrell, served in Vietnam in the U.S. Army and was a sniper, his call sign (code name on radio) was 'Rooster'. In the music video it shows him shooting a Winchester 70, that was what most Army and Marine snipers used in Vietnam. ROOSTER WAS NOT CARLOS HATHCOCK'S CALL SIGN, HIS WAS WHITE FEATHER.
4. anonymous

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   Sep 23rd 2008 !⃝

   The story I heard floatin' around the barracks is that the "Rooster" was what the NVA called a specific red-headed M-60 gunner, who caused enough damage to warrent a bounty being put on his head. The NVA not knowing his name simply called him the "Rooster". Much like Carlos Hathcock being called being called "White Feather". There is even a painting that shows a machine gunner (doesn't specify service) who is distinctly red headed, in the prone facing up hill and throwing rounds down range.
5. anonymous

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   Aug 24th 2008 !⃝

   Well I definitely agree with the person that talked about his dad saying that the machine gun man was nick named rooster on account that they were cocky. He put it well and most every other interpretation has been over analyzed when the song basically explains it self.
6. anonymous

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   Apr 6th 2008 !⃝

   Actually, the song is about Jerry Cantrell's father. His father, Jerry, Sr., served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne. The Airborne had a patch of a bald eagle on their sleeve. The Vietnamese soldiers referred to them as chickens or "roosters"... and Cantrell's fathers nickname was Rooster. The song is about the Vietnam war and Cantrell's father. The line "Gloria sent me pictures of my boy" refers to Jerry's mother, whose name was Glorida. She would send his father pictures of Jerry while he was in Vietnam. Jerry's father was at war when Jerry was born. Snuff the Rooster means that they tried to kill his father, but he survived. There's no underlying meaning: it is what it is: about Cantrell's father and Vietnam.
7. Jag528cbr

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   Jan 24th 2008 !⃝

   'Rooster' wasn't Cantral's father's nickname. His father was in the aibourne, who's insignia was the eagle. The Vietnamese didn't have eagles so they thought the insignas were roosters. So the airbourne was nicknamed the roosters.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
8. jarvis81

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   Jan 2nd 2008 !⃝

   Okay rooster is solely about Jerry's father. Go see a show retards his dad's nickname is rooster not an awaking creature in the night from bad dreams, his nickname is ROOSTER, go see a show and they explain the rooster don't over analyze a simple tribute to a dad.
9. Surfer_Coyote

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   Oct 8th 2007 !⃝

   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.
10. anonymous

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    Sep 12th 2007 !⃝

    The "rooster" refers to Carlos Hath`cock`, marine sniper in Vietnam who got many confirmed kills.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. anonymous

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    Aug 11th 2007 !⃝

    Wow, that's a lot of different ways of coming up with the title "Rooster." I like mine, which is that Jerry Cantrell's father had red hair, and this is why the other soldiers dubbed him "The Rooster." I'd go as far as saying that the line "You know he ain't gonna die" was a direct quote from a fellow soldier, but that's just speculation.
12. anonymous

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    Jul 25th 2007 !⃝

    Im soooooo surprised that ROOSTER an AIC song was the first song on the home page! Anyway the rooster means machine gun man. The song even tells you. Usually the rooster dies very quickly because everyone tries to kill him first, but Jerry Cantrell's father (or Layne Staley's father, I don't know) survived when he was the Rooster.
13. anonymous

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    Jul 25th 2007 !⃝

    The rooster is the nickname of the man or men in times of duty who were chosen to "snuff" out injured comrades who could no longer bare the pain. Mercy killing if you will. I believe the video lends a hand to support this.
14. anonymous

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    Jul 15th 2007 !⃝

    Ok, but what does that have to do with a rooster?

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
15. anonymous

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    Jun 20th 2007 !⃝

    All of you have the right idea... but that's not what it is. one night jerry, mike, and layne were all sitting around getting drunk and they were watching this millitary movie (dont know which movie) and they all passed out and when they woke up the movie was still playing and it freaked them out so they wrote a song about it. don't argue with me either.. I know I'm right because my godfather is good friends with mike starr.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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