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Ain't found a way to kill me yet
Eyes burn with stinging sweat
Seems every path leads me to nowhere
Wife and kids household pet
Army green was no safe bet
The bullets scream to me from somewhere
[Repeat: x2]
Here they come to snuff the rooster, aww yeah, hey yeah
Yeah here come the rooster, yeah
You know he ain't gonna die
No, no, no, ya know he ain't gonna die
Walkin' tall machine gun man
They spit on me in my home land
Gloria sent me pictures of my boy
Got my pills 'gainst mosquito death
My Buddy's breathin' his dyin' breath
Oh god please won't you help me make it through
Here they come to snuff the rooster, aww yeah
Yeah here come the rooster, yeah
You know he ain't gonna die
No, no, no ya know he ain't gonna die
Eyes burn with stinging sweat
Seems every path leads me to nowhere
Wife and kids household pet
Army green was no safe bet
The bullets scream to me from somewhere
[Repeat: x2]
Here they come to snuff the rooster, aww yeah, hey yeah
Yeah here come the rooster, yeah
You know he ain't gonna die
No, no, no, ya know he ain't gonna die
Walkin' tall machine gun man
They spit on me in my home land
Gloria sent me pictures of my boy
Got my pills 'gainst mosquito death
My Buddy's breathin' his dyin' breath
Oh god please won't you help me make it through
Here they come to snuff the rooster, aww yeah
Yeah here come the rooster, yeah
You know he ain't gonna die
No, no, no ya know he ain't gonna die
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Back in Vietnam, many, if not most, soldiers smoked. The problem was that smoking was dangerous and normally not permitted when out on patrol. Hence the snuff, which steadied the nerves of smokers while leaving no telltale smoke odor that would have been detectable for long distances by the enemy.
I just did a little research. It appears Rooster is still made, but I haven't seen it in years. I can attest from experience that it is very powerful stuff, and has a taste somewhere between a stale campfire and vinegar. It is also dusty fine and dusty dry, making it difficult to sniff without going into spasms of coughing or sneezing. Using this snuff was considered very macho. I just read that snuffing Rooster is still considered a macho activity in Europe. It packs a nicotine punch that makes Camel nonfilters look downright tame in comparison.
For anybody who cares to see for themselves, just Google up Rooster snuff, and then click on "images".
If not, then maybe you should read what Jerry Cantrell has said about the song.
Cantrell's pop's nickname when he was a kid was "Rooster," because of his hair. The name stuck with him. "Rooster' fought in the Vietnam War.
If it was about "scotch snuff" (and granted, the way the lyrics are written, it may be referring to that for those two repeated words here or there, but "snuff" isn't what the song is about), I doubt Jerry Cantrell would be holding back tears throughout their Unplugged performance of this brilliant song.
It reminded me of why I love their music - because it really comes from the heart. It takes balls to bare your soul even at its most unflattering moments, and that's what their songwriting did. They weren't interested in churning out some mindless drivel for the sake of making money. The result is haunting, emotional, beautiful, tragic, timeless songs. Because of this, AIC will live on.
SGT LOVE 73 RANGER REG