Buffalo Soldier

Marley wrote it with Noel King Sporty Williams. It did not appear on record until Confrontation in 1983. The title refers to the black United States cavalry regiments that fought in the Native American Wars after 1866, and Marley recast their fight as a symbol of black resistance. The bridge, with its woe yoe yo, was rumoured to echo the Banana Splits' Tra-La-La Song, though a 2008 BBC story cast doubt on that.

Cash Box praised its socio-political theme and sweet vocals. Dick Gregory criticised Marley over the song in 1979, saying it gave a false picture of the soldiers. Pitchfork wrote in 2026 that any irony in the lyrics was drowned out by the gaudy brass arrangement, and that the video was embarrassing for his legacy.