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

Verse:
D     Dbm7      Gbm
 All a-round in my home town,
        D        Dbm7      Gbm
They're tryin' to track me down;
D             Dbm7                 Gbm
 They say they want to bring me in guilty,
        D           Dbm7  Gbm
For the killing of a depu-ty,
        D        Dbm7 Gbm
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:
Gbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Bm                     Gbm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Oh, no! Yeah! -
       Gbm                     Bm
I say; I shot the sheRiff, oh Lord!
                     Gbm
And they say it is a capital offence. Yeah!

Verse:
D       Dbm7               Gbm
 SheRiff John Brown always hated me,
    D     Dbm7      Gbm
For what... I don't know.
      D     Dbm7     Gbm
Every time I plant a seed,
        D         Dbm7     Gbm
He said kill it be-fore it grow,
        D           Dbm7       Gbm
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:
Gbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Bm                     Gbm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. I say;
Gbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Bm                     Gbm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Yeah! -

Verse:
D               Dbm7     Gbm
 Freedom came my way one day,
      D      Dbm7     Gbm
And I started, out of town, yeah!
D        Dbm7          Gbm
 All of a sudden I saw SheRiff John Brown,
D         Dbm7      Gbm
 Aiming to shoot me down,
     D      Dbm7              Gbm
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:
Gbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Bm                     Gbm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Gbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Bm                     Gbm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

Verse:
   D             Dbm7       Gbm
Re-flexes had the better of me,
    D         Dbm7     Gbm
And what is to be must be.
      D       Dbm7           Gbm
Every day, the bucket a-go a-well,
D           Dbm7         Gbm
 One day the bottom a-go drop out,
D           Dbm7         Gbm
 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:
    Gbm
I-I-I, I shot the sheRiff,
Bm                            Gbm
 Lord, I didn't shot the depu-ty. No!
  Gbm
I-I...- shot the sheRiff -,
Bm                     Gbm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Yeah! So, yeah!

Outro - repeat and fade -: Gbm  Cm, Gbm