Buffalo Soldier

Album: Spark Seeker (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a track from Spark Seeker, the fourth studio album by reggae-rock singer Matisyahu. The song features Shyne, the former Diddy protégé who spent nine years in prison before becoming an Orthodox Jew and making his return to the music world.

    The album was Matisyahu's first release since shaving his famous beard in December 2011 and dropping the orthodox Jewish lifestyle. Regarding his songwriting approach to the album, he told us: "I would say there was definitely inspiration, Jewish inspiration from Kabbalah, from philosophy, the Torah – all these things. But a lot of this record was written in more of a free association kind of thing. So definitely, the work that I was doing at the time and the things that I was studying, whatever I was getting into, is coming through in the lyrics. But the form is a lot more laid back, a lot more loose, a lot more open, free association, which in some ways to me is deeper than the well-crafted words and whatnot." (Here's our full Matisyahu interview.)
  • The song was penned by Matisyahu and his producer Kool Kojak - it is not a cover of the Bob Marley classic tune of the same title. Matisyahu makes reference to Marley's song in the lyrics, "Buffalo Soldier, no I'm not a Rasta" (Marley sang, "Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock Rasta"). While Marley's song was more of a history lesson about the black cavalry solders sent to take over land in the American West, Matisyahu's song is about seeking out your own identity.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces