“Rooster”

By: Alice in Chains

Project By: Jordan Sachs

Ain't found a way to kill me yetEyes burn with stinging sweatSeems every path leads me to nowhereWife and kids household petArmy green was no safe betThe bullets scream to me from somewhere

(chorus)Here they come to snuff the rooster, aww yeah, hey yeahYeah here come the rooster, yeahYou know he ain't gonna dieNo, no, no, ya know he ain't gonna die

Walkin' tall machine gun manThey spit on me in my home landGloria sent me pictures of my boyGot my pills 'gainst mosquito deathMy Buddy's breathin' his dyin' breathOh god please won't you help me make it through

Literary references

The bullets scream to me from somewherePersonification: bullets cannot scream, only

humans can. The writer is equating the sound of bullets with human screams.

Literary references

Got my pills 'gainst mosquito deathMy Buddy's breathin' his dyin' breath

Rhyme: The writer rhymes death with breath

Literary ReferencesYeah here come the rooster, yeah

Metaphor: The writers refer to rooster as the guitarist’s father, the man who the song’s about.

Literary Reference

Metaphor: The lyrics say, “they spit on me in my home land.” This is a

metaphor for probably being treated poorly.

Alice in Chains is a grunge/heavy rock band that was founded in Seattle, Washington. Their music gives you a good taste of the member’s emotion and personal troubles. “We don’t stuff our personal demons inside ourselves, we get them out.” They are known for their heavy, grungy sound and meaningful, angst-ridden lyrics. Some other bands that sound like them are: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden. .

The song I chose; Rooster was created in 1992. The guitarist, Jerry Cantrell, wrote it for his dad who was in the Vietnam War. His nickname was rooster. The song explains the struggle and horror of the Vietnamese jungle and mentions things like: the wife and kids back home, being lost hearing gunfire, and machine guns. All the lyrics are straight from the heart and occasionally metaphorical.

Biography

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