Rooster

Alice In Chains

Score: 76
/
Played: 468

Album:

Dirt

Released: 15 Jan 2009

Wiki:

"Rooster" is a popular single by the grunge/metal group Alice in Chains. The song was released in 1993 and is featured on their second, full-length studio album, Dirt. It was written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his father, who served in the Vietnam War. His nickname was "Rooster." It is unknown where the nickname originated, but there is speculation that it may have been in relation to the 101st Airborne Division, in which Cantrell's father served. The 101st Airborne wore patches on their arms featuring a bald eagle. There are no bald eagles in Vietnam, so the closest thing to which the Vietnamese could reference them was the chicken. They referred to them as "chicken men". Jerry Cantrell has stated in an interview that Rooster was the nickname given to his father as a boy growing up in the south where it was common to have a nickname. The music video featured brutality and violence visually reminiscent of Apocalypse Now. Jerry Cantrell on the song, from the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection: "It was the start of the healing process between my Dad and I from all that damage that Vietnam caused. This was all my perception of his experiences out there. The first time I ever heard him talk about it was when we made the video and he did a 45 minute interview with Mark Pellington and I was amazed he did it. He was totally cool, totally calm, accepted it all and had a good time doing it. It even brought him to the point of tears. It was beautiful. He said it was a weird experience, a sad experience and he hoped that nobody else had to go through it." Later comments: "I think there's some vibe on the demo that maybe we didn't get here (on Dirt), but this has something all of its own... quality, for one thing." Cantrell's father joined Alice in Chains during "Rooster" on stage for the October 18, 2007 show in Tulsa, at Cain's Ballroom. The "Rooster' video was partially recorded on what was then his great uncle's property, now the site of the family ranch, in Atoka, Oklahoma.

Lyrics:

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[Intro] Ooh-hoo ooh ooh ooh ooh oohoo Ooh-hoo ooh ooh ooh Ooh oohoo [Verse 1] Ain't found a way to kill me yet Eyes burn with stinging sweat Seems every path leads me to nowhere, mm Wife and kids, household pet Army green was no safe bet The bullets scream to me from somewhere, mm [Chorus] Here they come to snuff the Rooster, oh yeah Yeah, here come the Rooster, yeah You know he ain't gonna die No, no, no, you know he ain't gonna die [Interlude] [Chorus] Here they come to snuff the Rooster, ah yeah Yeah, here come the Rooster, yeah You know he ain't gonna die No, no, no, you know he ain't gonna die [Verse 2] Walking tall machine gun man They spit on me in my home land Gloria sent me pictures of my boy, mm Got my pills 'gainst mosquito death My buddy's breathing his dying breath Oh, God, please, won't you help me make it through? [Chorus] Here they come to snuff the Rooster, ah yeah, yeah Yeah, here come the Rooster, yeah You know he ain't gonna die No, no, no, you know he ain't gonna die [Outro] Ooh-hoo ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh-hoo Ooh-hoo ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh-hoo