"One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack)"
Single by Coven
from the album Original Sound Track Music from the Motion Picture "Billy Jack"
B-side	"I Think You Always Knew (The Theme from Billy Jack)"
Released	1971
Format	7" single
Recorded	1971
Genre	Folk rock
Length	3:18
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter
Producer(s)	Mundell Lowe

"One Tin Soldier" is a 1960s counterculture era anti-war song written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. Canadian pop group The Original Caste first recorded the song in 1969 for both the TA label and its parent Bell label. The track went to number 6 on the RPM Magazine charts, hit the number 1 position on CHUM AM in Toronto on 27 December 1969, and reached number 34 on the American pop charts in early 1970.

In 1971 a cover was a hit in the U.S. for Coven, whose re-recording only featuring its lead singer Jinx Dawson was featured in the film Billy Jack. The single went to number 26 on the Billboard pop chart before it was pulled from radio by the film's producer. A re-recorded version by Coven made the Billboard chart in 1973, peaking at number 79.

In 1972 Skeeter Davis had moderate success with a cover version on the American country charts, but did very well in Canada, peaking at number 4 on the Canadian country chart and number 2 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart. Davis received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal for the song.

The verse of "One Tin Soldier" has the same harmonic base as Pachelbel's Canon (I-V-VI-III-IV-I-IV-V). The chorus is a simple I-V-IV-I.

"One Tin Soldier" tells the story of a hidden treasure and two neighboring tribes; the peaceful Mountain Kingdom and the warlike Valley Kingdom. Coveting the treasure of the mountains, the Valley People ultimately invade and slaughter the Mountain People; said treasure turns out to be simply three words inscribed on the underside of a rock: "Peace On Earth".

Singer Jinx Dawson of the band Coven performed the song at a 1971 session with the film's orchestra as part of the soundtrack for the Warner Bros. film Billy Jack. Dawson asked that her band, Coven, be listed on the recording and film, not her name as a solo artist. This Warner release, titled as "One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack)", reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1971.

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Wikipedia