Octubre de 1973. El cuarto álbum de Bob Marley con The Wailers, Burnin', sale a la luz con éste I shot the Sheriff compuesto por el mismo Marley. El tema ocupa la tercera pista de un vinilo muy especial que abre el "Get Up, Stand Up". Sí, el título dice lo que dice, aunque Marley reconoció que había cambiado Police por Sheriff para evitar problemas mayores. El tema se convertiría en uno de los grandes clásicos de The Wailers aunque también se haría muy popular la versión de Eric Clapton grabada un año después para su álbum 461 Ocean Boulevard, un cover que acabaría en el Grammy Hall of Fame.
(i shot the sheriff
but i didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! oh!
i shot the sheriff
but i didn't shoot no deputy, ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.)
yeah! all around in my home town,
they're tryin' to track me down;
they say they want to bring me in guilty
for the killing of a deputy,
for the life of a deputy.
but i say:
oh, now, now. oh!
(i shot the sheriff.) - the sheriff.
(but i swear it was in selfdefence.)
oh, no! (ooh, ooh, oo-oh) yeah!
i say: i shot the sheriff - oh, lord! -
(and they say it is a capital offence.)
yeah! (ooh, ooh, oo-oh) yeah!
sheriff john brown always hated me,
for what, i don't know:
every time i plant a seed,
he said kill it before it grow -
he said kill them before they grow.
and so:
read it in the news:
(i shot the sheriff.) oh, lord!
(but i swear it was in self-defence.)
where was the deputy? (oo-oo-oh)
i say: i shot the sheriff,
but i swear it was in selfdefence. (oo-oh) yeah!
freedom came my way one day
and i started out of town, yeah!
all of a sudden i saw sheriff john brown
aiming to shoot me down,
so i shot - i shot - i shot him down and i say:
if i am guilty i will pay.
(i shot the sheriff,)
but i say (but i didn't shoot no deputy),
i didn't shoot no deputy (oh, no-oh), oh no!
(i shot the sheriff.) i did!
but i didn't shoot no deputy. oh! (oo-oo-ooh)
reflexes had got the better of me
and what is to be must be:
every day the bucket a-go a well,
one day the bottom a-go drop out,
one day the bottom a-go drop out.
i say:
i - i - i - i shot the sheriff.
lord, i didn't shot the deputy. yeah!
i - i (shot the sheriff) -
but i didn't shoot no deputy, yeah! no, yeah!