"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song originally written by Bob Marley, told from the point of view of a narrator who admits to having killed the local sheriff but claims to be falsely accused of having killed the deputy sheriff. The narrator also claims to have acted in self-defense when the sheriff tried to shoot her or him. The song was first released in 1973 on The Wailers' album Burnin'. Marley explained his intention as follows: "I want to say 'I shot the police' but the government would have made a fuss so I said 'I shot the sheriff' instead… but it's the same idea: justice."
The song is in natural minor in the key of G.
Read more about I Shot The Sheriff: Eric Clapton Version, Warren G Version, Later Samplings, Allusions, and Covers, Cover Versions in Other Languages
Famous quotes containing the words shot and/or sheriff:
“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The man’s an M.D., like you. He’s entitled to his opinion. Or do you want me to charge him with confusing a country doctor?”
—Robert M. Fresco. Jack Arnold. Sheriff Jack Andrews (Nestor Paiva)