"Buffalo Soldier" is a reggae song written by Bob Marley and Noel G. "King Sporty" Williams from Marley's final recording sessions in 1980. It did not appear on record until the 1983 posthumous release of Confrontation, when it became one of Marley's best-known songs. The title and lyrics refer to the black U.S. cavalry regiments, known as "Buffalo Soldiers", that fought in the Indian Wars after 1866. Marley likened their fight to a fight for survival, and recasts it as a symbol of black resistance.[1]
The song's bridge, with the lyrics woy! yoy! yoy!, is similar to the chorus of the Banana Splits' "The Tra-La-La Song", the 1968 theme from their TV show, written by Mark Barkan and Ritchie Adams. There has never been any litigation connected to the similarity.[2]
The song has been covered by many artists, including Cultura Profética (on their album Tribute to the Legend: Bob Marley), and Vanilla Ice (on his 2008 album Vanilla Ice Is Back!).[3]
The origin of the term "Buffalo Soldier" is thought to be as a nickname given to black troops by Native Americans, either referring to how they thought African Americans' hair felt and looked (like a bison), or how fiercely they fought.[4][5] Others claim it was in reference to how the soldiers tirelessly marched.