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

Verse:
A     Abm7      Dbm
 All a-round in my home town,
        A        Abm7      Dbm
They're tryin' to track me down;
A             Abm7                 Dbm
 They say they want to bring me in guilty,
        A           Abm7  Dbm
For the killing of a depu-ty,
        A        Abm7 Dbm
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:
Dbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gbm                     Dbm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Oh, no! Yeah! -
       Dbm                     Gbm
I say; I shot the sheRiff, oh Lord!
                     Dbm
And they say it is a capital offence. Yeah!

Verse:
A       Abm7               Dbm
 SheRiff John Brown always hated me,
    A     Abm7      Dbm
For what... I don't know.
      A     Abm7     Dbm
Every time I plant a seed,
        A         Abm7     Dbm
He said kill it be-fore it grow,
        A           Abm7       Dbm
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:
Dbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gbm                     Dbm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. I say;
Dbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gbm                     Dbm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Yeah! -

Verse:
A               Abm7     Dbm
 Freedom came my way one day,
      A      Abm7     Dbm
And I started, out of town, yeah!
A        Abm7          Dbm
 All of a sudden I saw SheRiff John Brown,
A         Abm7      Dbm
 Aiming to shoot me down,
     A      Abm7              Dbm
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:
Dbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gbm                     Dbm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Dbm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Gbm                     Dbm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

Verse:
   A             Abm7       Dbm
Re-flexes had the better of me,
    A         Abm7     Dbm
And what is to be must be.
      A       Abm7           Dbm
Every day, the bucket a-go a-well,
A           Abm7         Dbm
 One day the bottom a-go drop out,
A           Abm7         Dbm
 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:
    Dbm
I-I-I, I shot the sheRiff,
Gbm                            Dbm
 Lord, I didn't shot the depu-ty. No!
  Dbm
I-I...- shot the sheRiff -,
Gbm                     Dbm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Yeah! So, yeah!

Outro - repeat and fade -: Dbm  Cm, Dbm