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

Verse:
Eb     Dm7      Gm
 All a-round in my home town,
        Eb        Dm7      Gm
They're tryin' to track me down;
Eb             Dm7                 Gm
 They say they want to bring me in guilty,
        Eb           Dm7  Gm
For the killing of a depu-ty,
        Eb        Dm7 Gm
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:
Gm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Cm                     Gm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Oh, no! Yeah! -
       Gm                     Cm
I say; I shot the sheRiff, oh Lord!
                     Gm
And they say it is a capital offence. Yeah!

Verse:
Eb       Dm7               Gm
 SheRiff John Brown always hated me,
    Eb     Dm7      Gm
For what... I don't know.
      Eb     Dm7     Gm
Every time I plant a seed,
        Eb         Dm7     Gm
He said kill it be-fore it grow,
        Eb           Dm7       Gm
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:
Gm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Cm                     Gm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. I say;
Gm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Cm                     Gm
 But I swear it was in self-defence. - Yeah! -

Verse:
Eb               Dm7     Gm
 Freedom came my way one day,
      Eb      Dm7     Gm
And I started, out of town, yeah!
Eb        Dm7          Gm
 All of a sudden I saw SheRiff John Brown,
Eb         Dm7      Gm
 Aiming to shoot me down,
     Eb      Dm7              Gm
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:
Gm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Cm                     Gm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
Gm
 I shot the sheRiff,
Cm                     Gm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.

Verse:
   Eb             Dm7       Gm
Re-flexes had the better of me,
    Eb         Dm7     Gm
And what is to be must be.
      Eb       Dm7           Gm
Every day, the bucket a-go a-well,
Eb           Dm7         Gm
 One day the bottom a-go drop out,
Eb           Dm7         Gm
 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:
    Gm
I-I-I, I shot the sheRiff,
Cm                            Gm
 Lord, I didn't shot the depu-ty. No!
  Gm
I-I...- shot the sheRiff -,
Cm                     Gm
 But I didn't shoot no deputy. Yeah! So, yeah!

Outro - repeat and fade -: Gm  Cm, Gm