[Verse 1] Okay, I started out all alone 'Cause my baby mama left me Now there's nobody at home Beginning to feel like Ms. Jackson done got cloned Well it's some real shit and I'm living it through this song A moving vehicle took my family As I slept out on the sofa in the Boom Boom Room I woke up very upset I throw the covers back and peek out of the draperies My daughter, my baby, my baby mama all escaping me Like a candle in the wind, she was my friend Like Princess Di' before she died, therefore we tried and tried again But in the end, you pay attention to the pluses But the minuses behind make it seem like you can't win
[Verse 2] Round two, a single parent, what is Big to do? Throw a party? Not hardly; I'm tryin' to stay up outta that womb Or that p-u-s-s, puss, I said puss Luther Vandross couldn't make a home out of this house that we smooshed Smashed, pushed to the limit, smash and turned it timid If anyone was suffering, the house was feeling wicked The cat got sold, the dog got old, the food got cold Both of our tempers were on swole For the most, most part, you fuss, fight, fart You build it up to break it down and now take it from the start Repeatedly leading a path that only ends in a clash Of two stubborn minds, grown folks blind to the signs
[Verse 3] K-O, knocked out by technicality The love has kissed the canvas, now the whole family is mad at me My daughter don't want me at her PTA meetings And then my son, he can't talk, when I change him he's peeing I think he's pissed, I can't dismiss the matter of the fact Because he saw me and you argue, now the energy's coming back Set an example, a positive pattern, keep life on track But I'm married to the music and committed to the wax
[Bridge] Tapes, CDs, baby, please You make me wanna scream You're on my team starting first string so why are we arguing? (Wax) Tapes, CDs, baby, please You make me wanna scream You're on my team starting first string so why are we arguing?
“The Rooster” is the sixth track on Big Boi’s solo effort Speakerboxxx. Big Boi raps about his family problems – specifically the problems with his ex-wife.
The title of the song ties with the chorus and the rooster-like sounds throughout the song, but the connection between the rap content and a rooster is open to multiple interpretations.
The jazz-influenced beat of “The Rooster” was produced by Carl Mo, who also produced “The Way You Move” and “Knowing” off the Speakerboxxx album.
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