I shot the sheriff,
But I did not shoot no deputy
All around in my old town
They're trying to track me down
They say they want me in and guilty
For the life of a deputy
But I say
I shot the sheriff,
But I did not shoot no deputy

Sheriff John Brown always sent to me
For what I don't know
Every time I plant a seed
He says "kill them before they grow"
But I say
I shot the sheriff,
But I did not shoot no deputy

Freedom came my way one day
And I started out of town
Then all of a sudden I saw sheriff John Brown
He was aiming to shoot I down
So I shot, I shot him down
But I say
I shot the sheriff
But I swear it was in self defense
I shot the sheriff
And they say it is a capital offense

Reflexes are the better of me
And what is to be must to be
Every day the bucket goes to the well
And I say one day the bucket will drop out