All around in my hometown They are trying to drag me down They say they want to bring I in guilty For the life of a deputy For the life of a deputy, now But I said It was I who shot the sheriff But I swear it was in self defense (hu, hu, hu) It was I who shot the sheriff And they say it is a capital offense (huh, uh) Sheriff John Brown always hate I For what, I don't know, now Every time I plant a seed He'll say kill them before they grow He'll say kill them before they grow, now And so And so Bye, bye, bye I shot the sheriff Lord, I didn't shoot a deputy It was I who shot the sheriff But I didn't shoot no deputy (huh, uh) Freedom came my way one day And I started out of town, yeah And then all of a sudden I saw Sheriff John Brown He was aiming to shoot I down So I, oh yes, I I shot him down And I said If I am guilty I will pay I shot the sheriff But I didn't shoot no deputy (hu, hu, hu) It was I who shot the sheriff But I didn't shoot no deputy (huh, uh) You see Reflexes had the better of me What is to be must be, yeah Every day, the bucket goes to the well And I mean, one day the bottom will drop out And I say One day the bottom will drop out And so