I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy.
I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy.

All around in my hometown,
They're tryin' to track me down.
They say they want to bring me in guilty,
For the killing of a deputy,
For the killing of a deputy.

But I say...

I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy.
I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy.

Sheriff John Brown always hated me,
For what I don't know.
Every time that I planted a seed,
He said, "Kill it before it grow."
He said, "Kill them before it grow."

But I say...

I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self defence.
I shot the sheriff, and they say it was a capital offence.

Reflexes got the better of me,
And what is to be must be.
Every day the bucket goes to the well,
But one day the bottom will drop out
Yeah, one day the bottom will drop out

But I say...