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

Verse:
C     Bm7      Em
 All a-round in my home town,
        C        Bm7      Em
They're tryin' to track me down;
C             Bm7                 Em
 They say they want to bring me in guilty,
        C           Bm7  Em
For the killing of a depu-ty,
        C        Bm7 Em
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:
Em
 I shot the sheRiff,
Am                     Em
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Oh, no! Yeah! -
       Em                     Am
I say; I shot the sheRiff, oh Lord!
                     Em
And they say it is a capital offence. Yeah!

Verse:
C       Bm7               Em
 SheRiff John Brown always hated me,
    C     Bm7      Em
For what... I don't know.
      C     Bm7     Em
Every time I plant a seed,
        C         Bm7     Em
He said kill it be-fore it grow,
        C           Bm7       Em
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:
Em
 I shot the sheRiff,
Am                     Em
 But I swear it was in self-defence. I say;
Em
 I shot the sheRiff,
Am                     Em
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Yeah! -

Verse:
C               Bm7     Em
 Freedom came my way one day,
      C      Bm7     Em
And I started, out of town, yeah!
C        Bm7          Em
 All of a sudden I saw SheRiff John Brown,
C         Bm7      Em
 Aiming to shoot me down,
     C      Bm7              Em
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:
Em
 I shot the sheRiff,
Am                     Em
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Em
 I shot the sheRiff,
Am                     Em
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

Verse:
   C             Bm7       Em
Re-flexes had the better of me,
    C         Bm7     Em
And what is to be must be.
      C       Bm7           Em
Every day, the bucket a-go a-well,
C           Bm7         Em
 One day the bottom a-go drop out,
C           Bm7         Em
 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:
    Em
I-I-I, I shot the sheRiff,
Am                            Em
 Lord, I didn't shot the depu-ty. No!
  Em
I-I...- shot the sheRiff -,
Am                     Em
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Yeah! So, yeah!

Outro - repeat and fade -: Em  Cm, Em