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I Shot The Sheriff

Chords

4.9893 votes

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1/36

Tempo 80 BPMVol

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Position

Step 1 / 36Position: 3

1 index2 middle3 ring4 pinkyO openSpace = play/pause

...I SHOT THE SHERIFF... by Bob Marley
------------------------..............
*from 'Burnin'' (1973)*
[Chorus 1]
 GmI shot the sheriff,
 CmBut I didn't shoot no Gmdeputy, oh no! Oh!
 GmI shot the sheriff,
 CmBut I didn't shoot no Gmdeputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.
[Verse 1]
 EbAll a-Dm7round in Gmmy home town,
They're Ebtryin' to Dm7track me Gmdown;
 EbThey say they Dm7want to bring me in Gmguilty,
For the Ebkilling of a Dm7depu-Gmty,
For the Eblife of a Dm7dep-Gmuty. But I say...
*(Riff):
e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|
D|--5-3--------------------|
A|-------5-3-----5-3-------|
E|------------6-------6-3--|
[Chorus 2]
 GmI shot the sheriff,
 CmBut I swear it was in Gmself-defence. (Oh, no! Yeah!)
I say; GmI shot the sheriff, oh CmLord!
And they say it is a Gmcapital offence. Yeah!
[Verse 2]
 EbSheriff Dm7John Brown always Gmhated me,
For Ebwhat... Dm7I don't Gmknow.
Every Ebtime I Dm7plant a Gmseed,
He said Ebkill it be-Dm7fore it Gmgrow,
He said Ebkill them be-Dm7fore they Gmgrow. 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]
 GmI shot the sheriff,
 CmBut I swear it was in Gmself-defence. I say;
 GmI shot the sheriff,
 CmBut I swear it was in Gmself-defence. (Yeah!)
[Verse 3]
 EbFreedom came my Dm7way one Gmday,
And I Ebstarted, Dm7out of Gmtown, yeah!
 EbAll of a Dm7sudden I saw GmSheriff John Brown,
 EbAiming to Dm7shoot me Gmdown,
So I Ebshot, I Dm7shot, I shot him Gmdown. 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]
 GmI shot the sheriff,
 CmBut I didn't shoot no Gmdeputy, oh no! Oh!
 GmI shot the sheriff,
 CmBut I didn't shoot no Gmdeputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.
[Verse 4]
Re-Ebflexes had the Dm7better of Gmme,
And Ebwhat is to Dm7be must Gmbe.
Every Ebday, the Dm7bucket a-go a-Gmwell,
 EbOne day the Dm7bottom a-go Gmdrop out,
 EbOne day the Dm7bottom a-go Gmdrop out.
*(Riff):
e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|
D|--5-3--------------------|
A|-------5-3-----5-3-------|
E|------------6-------6-3--|
(I say)...
[Chorus 5]
I-I-GmI, I shot the sheriff,
 CmLord, I didn't shot the depu-Gmty. No!
I-GmI...(shot the sheriff),
 CmBut I didn't shoot no Gmdeputy. Yeah! So, yeah!
[Coda]
Gm  Cm
Gm
(Repeat to Fade)
CHORD DIAGRAMS:
---------------
 EAGmDGBE  EACmDGBE  EAEbDGBE  EADm7DGBE
 355333  x35543  x68886  x57565
Tabbed by Joel from cLuMsY, Bristol, England, 2004 (clumsyband@hotmail.com)

The story behind the song

"I Shot the Sheriff" was written by Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band the Wailers on their album Burnin'. Marley explained that he changed "police" to "sheriff" to avoid government backlash, conveying the same idea of justice. A former girlfriend of Marley's later claimed that the lyrics were actually about his opposition to her use of birth control pills, with "sheriff" replacing "doctor." The song gained renewed attention in 1992 when it was cited as a precedent for protest songs.

AI-written from these sources:I Shot the Sheriff — Wikipedia ↗Bob Marley — Wikipedia ↗

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I Shot The Sheriff

by Bob Marley

Lyrics & chords · Original key

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

------------------------..............

*from 'Burnin'' (1973)*

[Chorus 1]

I shot the sheriff,

Cm Gm

But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!

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]

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!

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]

I shot the sheriff,

Cm Gm

But I swear it was in self-defence. I say;

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]

I shot the sheriff,

Cm Gm

But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!

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]

I-I-I, I shot the sheriff,

Cm Gm

Lord, I didn't shot the depu-ty. No!

I-I...(shot the sheriff),

Cm Gm

But I didn't shoot no deputy. Yeah! So, yeah!

[Coda]

Gm Cm

(Repeat to Fade)

CHORD DIAGRAMS:

---------------

Gm Cm Eb Dm7

EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE

355333 x35543 x68886 x57565

Tabbed by Joel from cLuMsY, Bristol, England, 2004 (clumsyband@hotmail.com)

About I Shot The Sheriff Chords by Bob Marley

Learn how to play I Shot The Sheriff by Bob Marley with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “I Shot The Sheriff chords”, “I Shot The Sheriff guitar chords”, or “Bob Marley I Shot The Sheriff chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy I Shot The Sheriff chords and for experienced players who want accurate I Shot The Sheriff lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Gm, Cm, Eb, Dm7, B, G.

FAQ — I Shot The Sheriff by Bob Marley

How do I play "I Shot The Sheriff" by Bob Marley on guitar?

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Can I transpose "I Shot The Sheriff" to a different key?

Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "I Shot The Sheriff" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.

Can I see chord diagrams for "I Shot The Sheriff"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "I Shot The Sheriff" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "I Shot The Sheriff" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "I Shot The Sheriff" by Bob Marley with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Bob Marley below.

What key is "I Shot The Sheriff" in?

The chords for "I Shot The Sheriff" show the original chord names (including Gm, Cm, Eb, Dm7, B, G). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.