How to read tablature? 
Chorus:
Abm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Dbm                     Abm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Abm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Dbm                     Abm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

Verse:
E     Ebm7      Abm
 All a-round in my home town,
        E        Ebm7      Abm
They're tryin' to track me down;
E             Ebm7                 Abm
 They say they want to bring me in guilty,
        E           Ebm7  Abm
For the killing of a depu-ty,
        E        Ebm7 Abm
For the life of a dep-uty. But I say...

Riff:
xA|--10-8--5-3-----5-3-------|
xE|-------------6-------6-3--|
xC|--------------------------|
xG|--------------------------|

Chorus:
Abm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Dbm                     Abm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Oh, no! Yeah! -
       Abm                     Dbm
I say; I shot the sheRiff, oh Lord!
                     Abm
And they say it is a capital offence. Yeah!

Verse:
E       Ebm7               Abm
 SheRiff John Brown always hated me,
    E     Ebm7      Abm
For what... I don't know.
      E     Ebm7     Abm
Every time I plant a seed,
        E         Ebm7     Abm
He said kill it be-fore it grow,
        E           Ebm7       Abm
He said kill them be-fore they grow. And so, and so...

Riff:
xA|--10-8--5-3-----5-3-------|
xE|-------------6-------6-3--|
xC|--------------------------|
xG|--------------------------|

- Read it in the news! -

Chorus:
Abm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Dbm                     Abm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. I say;
Abm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Dbm                     Abm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Yeah! -

Verse:
E               Ebm7     Abm
 Freedom came my way one day,
      E      Ebm7     Abm
And I started, out of town, yeah!
E        Ebm7          Abm
 All of a sudden I saw SheRiff John Brown,
E         Ebm7      Abm
 Aiming to shoot me down,
     E      Ebm7              Abm
So I shot, I shot, I shot him down. And I say...

Riff:
xA|--10-8--5-3-----5-3-------|
xE|-------------6-------6-3--|
xC|--------------------------|
xG|--------------------------|

- If I am guilty, I will pay -...

Chorus:
Abm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Dbm                     Abm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Abm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Dbm                     Abm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

Verse:
   E             Ebm7       Abm
Re-flexes had the better of me,
    E         Ebm7     Abm
And what is to be must be.
      E       Ebm7           Abm
Every day, the bucket a-go a-well,
E           Ebm7         Abm
 One day the bottom a-go drop out,
E           Ebm7         Abm
 One day the bottom a-go drop out.

Riff:
xA|--10-8--5-3-----5-3-------|
xE|-------------6-------6-3--|
xC|--------------------------|
xG|--------------------------|

- I say -...

Chorus:
    Abm
I-I-I, I shot the sheRiff,
Dbm                            Abm
 Lord, I didn't shot the depu-ty. No!
  Abm
I-I...- shot the sheRiff -,
Dbm                     Abm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Yeah! So, yeah!

Outro - repeat and fade -: Abm  Cm, Abm