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

Verse:
Bb     Am7      Dm
 All a-round in my home town,
        Bb        Am7      Dm
They're tryin' to track me down;
Bb             Am7                 Dm
 They say they want to bring me in guilty,
        Bb           Am7  Dm
For the killing of a depu-ty,
        Bb        Am7 Dm
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:
Dm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gm                     Dm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Oh, no! Yeah! -
       Dm                     Gm
I say; I shot the sheRiff, oh Lord!
                     Dm
And they say it is a capital offence. Yeah!

Verse:
Bb       Am7               Dm
 SheRiff John Brown always hated me,
    Bb     Am7      Dm
For what... I don't know.
      Bb     Am7     Dm
Every time I plant a seed,
        Bb         Am7     Dm
He said kill it be-fore it grow,
        Bb           Am7       Dm
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:
Dm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gm                     Dm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. I say;
Dm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gm                     Dm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Yeah! -

Verse:
Bb               Am7     Dm
 Freedom came my way one day,
      Bb      Am7     Dm
And I started, out of town, yeah!
Bb        Am7          Dm
 All of a sudden I saw SheRiff John Brown,
Bb         Am7      Dm
 Aiming to shoot me down,
     Bb      Am7              Dm
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:
Dm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gm                     Dm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Dm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gm                     Dm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

Verse:
   Bb             Am7       Dm
Re-flexes had the better of me,
    Bb         Am7     Dm
And what is to be must be.
      Bb       Am7           Dm
Every day, the bucket a-go a-well,
Bb           Am7         Dm
 One day the bottom a-go drop out,
Bb           Am7         Dm
 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:
    Dm
I-I-I, I shot the sheRiff,
Gm                            Dm
 Lord, I didn't shot the depu-ty. No!
  Dm
I-I...- shot the sheRiff -,
Gm                     Dm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Yeah! So, yeah!

Outro - repeat and fade -: Dm  Cm, Dm