Guitar chords I Shot The Sheriff

I Shot the Sheriff was written by Bob Marley and speaks to the repression and injustice suffered by the black people at the time. The lyrics tell the story of a man who admits to shooting the sheriff but denies shooting the deputy. The song has been interpreted as a metaphor for the fight against the oppressive colonial and police system in Jamaica. Marley explained that the lyrics also reflect personal conflicts and the defense of self-defense.

Key:  Gm 
Gm
 
 I shot the sheriff,
Cm
                     
Gm
 
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Gm
 
 I shot the sheriff,
Cm
                     
Gm
 
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

Eb
     
Dm7
      
Gm
 
 All a-round in my home town,
        
Eb
        
Dm7
      
Gm
 
They're tryin' to track me down;
Eb
             
Dm7
                 
Gm
 
 They say they want to bring me in guilty,
        
Eb
           
Dm7
  
Gm
 
For the killing of a depu-ty,
        
Eb
        
Dm7
 
Gm
 
For the life of a dep-uty. But I say...
*(Riff):

Gm
 
 I shot the sheriff,
Cm
                     
Gm
 
 But I swear it was in self-defence. (Oh, no! Yeah!)
       
Gm
                     
Cm
 
I say; I shot the sheriff, oh Lord!
                     
Gm
 
And they say it is a capital offence. Yeah!

Eb
       
Dm7
               
Gm
 
 Sheriff John Brown always hated me,
    
Eb
     
Dm7
      
Gm
 
For what... I don't know.
      
Eb
     
Dm7
     
Gm
 
Every time I plant a seed,
        
Eb
         
Dm7
     
Gm
 
He said kill it be-fore it grow,
        
Eb
           
Dm7
       
Gm
 
He said kill them be-fore they grow. And so, and so...
*(Riff):

Gm
 
 I shot the sheriff,
Cm
                     
Gm
 
 But I swear it was in self-defence. I say;
Gm
 
 I shot the sheriff,
Cm
                     
Gm
 
 But I swear it was in self-defence. (Yeah!)

Eb
               
Dm7
     
Gm
 
 Freedom came my way one day,
      
Eb
      
Dm7
     
Gm
 
And I started, out of town, yeah!
Eb
        
Dm7
          
Gm
 
 All of a sudden I saw Sheriff John Brown,
Eb
         
Dm7
      
Gm
 
 Aiming to shoot me down,
     
Eb
      
Dm7
              
Gm
 
So I shot, I shot, I shot him down. And I say...
*(Riff):

Gm
 
 I shot the sheriff,
Cm
                     
Gm
 
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Gm
 
 I shot the sheriff,
Cm
                     
Gm
 
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

   
Eb
             
Dm7
       
Gm
 
Re-flexes had the better of me,
    
Eb
         
Dm7
     
Gm
 
And what is to be must be.
      
Eb
       
Dm7
           
Gm
 
Every day, the bucket a-go a-well,
Eb
           
Dm7
         
Gm
 
 One day the bottom a-go drop out,
Eb
           
Dm7
         
Gm
 
 One day the bottom a-go drop out.
*(Riff):

    
Gm
 
I-I-I, I shot the sheriff,
Cm
                            
Gm
 
 Lord, I didn't shot the depu-ty. No!
  
Gm
 
I-I...(shot the sheriff),
Cm
                     
Gm
 
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Yeah! So, yeah!

Gm
  
Cm
 
Gm
 
(Repeat to Fade)
CHORD DIAGRAMS:
   
Gm
      
Cm
      
Eb
      
Dm7
 
 EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE
 355333  x35543  x68886  x57565