Bob Marley - I Shot The Sherriff

Live Concert

I Shot The Sherriff Lyric

I shot the sheriff But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! oh!
I shot the sheriff But I didn't shoot no deputy, ooh, ooh, oo-ooh
Yeah! all around in my home town, They're tryin to track me down
They say they want to bring me in guilty for the killing of a deputy,
For the life of a deputy. But I say Oh, now, now. oh! I shot the sheriff
but I swear it was in selfdefence. Oh, no! ooh, ooh, oo-oh yeah!
I say I shot the sheriff - oh, lord! and they say it is a capital offence
Yeah! ooh, ooh, oo-oh yeah! Sheriff john brown always hated me,
For what, I dont know. Every time I plant a seed,
He said kill it before it grow. He said kill them before they grow.
And so, Read it in the news, I shot the sheriff. oh, lord!
but I swear it was inself-defence. Where was the deputy?
oo-oo-oh I say I shot the sheriff, But I swear it was in selfdefence
oo-oh yeah! Freedom came my way one day And I started out of town,
yeah! All of a sudden I saw sheriff john brown aiming to shoot me down,
So I shot I shot I shot him down and I say If I am guilty I will pay
I shot the sheriff, But I say, but I didn't shoot no deputy,
I didn't shoot no deputy oh, no-oh, oh no! I shot the sheriff
I did! But I didn't shoot no deputy
oh! oo-oo-ooh Reflexes had got the better of me
And what is to be must be. Every day the bucket a-go a well,
One day the bottom a-go drop out, One day the bottom a-go drop out
I say I - I - I - I shot the sheriff. Lord, I didn't shot the deputy
yeah! I - I shot the sheriff, But I didn't shoot no deputy,
yeah! no, yeah!

Song Note : "This song tells the story of a man who shoots a sheriff who is harassing him, but is wrongly accused of killing the deputy. Marley said that some of the song is true, but would not say what parts."

"This was the last single Marley released with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, who left to go solo."

"The sheriff's name in the song is John Brown. In 1963, Bob Dylan wrote a song called "John Brown" about a boy who goes to war and comes back badly wounded."