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“Buffalo Soldier” was the nickname Native Americans reportedly gave to the black soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments during the so-called Indian Wars. The term eventually applied to all regiments in the U.S. Army segregating African Americans (until Harry Truman’s 1948 executive order).
Since they were renowned for courage and discipline—and, contrary to many other regiments, suffered relatively little drunkenness or desertion—Marley uses the buffalo soldiers' fight for survival during the Indian Wars as a symbol of black resistance and identity. At the same time, he touches upon the cruel irony of deploying one subjected people to remove another.
Written by Bob Marley and Noel G. “King Sporty” William in 1980, “Buffalo Soldier” released posthumously as a single from "Confrontation", the first album released after Marley’s untimely death in 1981.
Marley uses the African American English (AAE), letting the reader know that his is a voice of experience. Being a Rastafarian himself, he can easily fit into the shoes of these Buffalo Soldiers.
Although not the first ever ‘Reggae’ song, “Buffalo Soldier” contributed a lot in bringing Reggae into international notice. The first ever popular Reggae song was actually “Do The Reggay,” a 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals.
Although the song brings to light the sufferings of the Buffalo Soldiers, it also comments on the happy-go-lucky nature of the soldiers. The upbeat nature of Reggae, combined with singing ‘woy yoy yoy’ concretes an almost sarcastic tone, full of euphemism. It’s almost like the Buffalo Soldier is staring the white men right in the eye and smiling.
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