Howlin' Wolf's "The Red Rooster" is a song with a barrage of symbolism that speaks about the narrator's little red rooster that is too lazy to crow during the day. The rooster is lazy and ineffective, and the lyrics come off as somewhat sarcastic. The rooster is portrayed as a key figure, holding influence within the barnyard, but ironically, the lazy rooster keeps everything in the barnyard upset. The song personifies the rooster's laziness as a means of disrupting the peace in the barnyard, and everyone is upset about it.

The lyrics start off by detailing that the little red rooster is too lazy to crow, and this laziness is causing resentment amongst the other animals in the barnyard. The dogs begin to bark and howl, signifying that something strange or perhaps dangerous is afoot. The narrator warns everyone to watch out because the rooster is on the prowl, insinuating that the rooster is up to no good. The message behind the lyrics is that those who are lazy and unproductive can create chaos, and those who are high-strung and active become the watchdogs, always vigilant.

In summary, the meaning of "The Red Rooster" seems to be that even those who are seen as insignificant can create disruption and chaos if they're not doing their job properly. Sometimes the quiet ones cause the most noise.