<P> This song was written by Alice in Chains guitarist / vocalist Jerry Cantrell for his father, Jerry Cantrell Sr., who served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War . "Rooster" was a childhood nickname given to Cantrell Sr. by his great - grandfather, because of his perceived "cocky" attitude and his hair, which used to stick up on top of his head like a rooster's comb . </P> <P> The "Rooster" nickname is often mistakenly attributed to a reference to men carrying the M60 machine gun ("Walking tall machine gun men"), 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 ." </P> <P> Cantrell wrote the song while living at Chris Cornell and Susan Silver's house in Seattle at the start of 1991 . Silver is Alice in Chains' manager . Alone, late at night, Cantrell kept thinking about his father and the psychological scars from his time in the Vietnam War that contributed to the breakdown of his family . Cantrell wrote the lyrics from the standpoint of his father . </P> <P> In the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection, Jerry Cantrell said of the song: </P>

What is the rooster song about alice in chains
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