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.
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Gm
All a-round in my home town,
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They're tryin' to track me down;
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They say they want to bring me in guilty,
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For the killing of a depu-ty,
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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!
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Gm
Sheriff John Brown always hated me,
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For what... I don't know.
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Every time I plant a seed,
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He said kill it be-fore it grow,
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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!)
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Gm
Freedom came my way one day,
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And I started, out of town, yeah!
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All of a sudden I saw Sheriff John Brown,
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Aiming to shoot me down,
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Gm
So I shot, I shot, I shot him down. And I say... *(Riff):