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...I SHOT THE SHERIFF... by Bob Marley
------------------------..............

*from 'Burnin'' (1973)*


[Chorus 1]

 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.


[Verse 1]

 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):

e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|
D|--5-3--------------------|
A|-------5-3-----5-3-------|
E|------------6-------6-3--|


[Chorus 2]

 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!


[Verse 2]

 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):

e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|
D|--5-3--------------------|
A|-------5-3-----5-3-------|
E|------------6-------6-3--|

(Read it in the news!)


[Chorus 3]

 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!)


[Verse 3]

 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):

e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|
D|--5-3--------------------|
A|-------5-3-----5-3-------|
E|------------6-------6-3--|

(If I am guilty, I will pay)...


[Chorus 4]

 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.


[Verse 4]

   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):

e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|
D|--5-3--------------------|
A|-------5-3-----5-3-------|
E|------------6-------6-3--|

(I say)...


[Chorus 5]

    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!


[Coda]

 Gm  Cm 
 Gm 

(Repeat to Fade)


CHORD DIAGRAMS:
---------------

   Gm      Cm      Eb      Dm7 
 EADGBbE  EADGBbE  EADGBbE  EADGBbE 
 355333  x35543  x68886  x57565