———————————————————————————————————                             |      Bob Marley & The Wailers|
 |        "I Shot The Sheriff"|
|     By: Garland Cross|
|                           |
| This tab may be used by anyone as |
| long as the header remains.|
 ———————————————————————————————————

This is an improvement on my odd tab its alot better
I got this straight from the written music so it should be correct. this version is as 
heard on Legend.
 
 
 
You can listen were all the rests are I only wrote it in big gaps

I.1st,3rd and 4th Choruses(0:01,1:43,2:38)

I shot the sheriff  but I didn't shoot no deputy            Oh no oh
I shot the sheriff  but I swear it was in self—defenseOoh ooh ooh

Four beats per Measure
Fig 1.restrest
 |——————————————3—5|—5————————————————|———————————————————|—————————————————————|
 |——0——3—5—————5———|——————————————————|—————3———3—5———————|—3—3———3————5————————|
 |—1———————————————|——————————————————|———5———5—————————5—|——————————5——————————|
 |—————————3———————|——————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————6—|

 rest    restend Fig 1
 |——————————————————3—5—|—5————————————————|—————————————————|————————————————|
 |————3——5—————————5————|——————————————————|————3——3—5———————|——3—3———3————5——|
 |——5———————————————————|——————————————————|——5———5——————————|———————————5————|
 |—————————3————————————|——————————————————|———————————————5—|————————————————|

II.1st,3rd,and 4th Verses (0:21,2:03,2:58)
All aroundin my'ometownthey
Freedom   came my  way  one   dayand   I
flexes    had  the better          of me and

Fig 2. rest  rest
 |——8———————————————————————7————————————————————|—————————————————————————————7——————|
 |——————8——————————————————————7—————————————————|—5——————————————————————————————————|
 |—————————6————(6)———————————————5————(5)——5——8—|——————5——5——5——5——5——5——5———————————|
 |———————————————————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————|

 tryin           to trackme   downyeahThey
 started           out            of   town     yeah                    
 what is       to      be           must   beEvery
rest
 |——8——————————————————7————————————————————————|—————————————————————————————————————|
 |————8——————————————————7——————————————————————|—5———————————————————5———————————————|
 |———————6——————(6)————————5———————(5)————5———8—|————5——5——5——5——5——5————5————————————|
 |——————————————————————————————————————————————|—————————————————————————————————————|
    say  they  want  to  bring  me in guilty                                for the
    All  of    a     sudden        I  saw         Sheriff      John  Brown       aimin'
day                  the bucket     a—go  a    well
rest
 |——8———————————————————7————————————————————————|—————————————————————————7——————————|
 |————8—————————————————————7————————————————————|—5——————————————————————————————————|
 |———————6—————(6)—————————————5—————(5)——5————8—|————5——5——5——5——5——5——5—————————————|
 |———————————————————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————|
    killing   of   a  deputy                      For  the  life   of  a  deputy
                   to shoot me  down              So  I     shot       I  shot I shot him
One     day        the bottom a—go   drop out               One   day  the  bottom  a—go
     *end Fig. 2
 |——8————————————7———————————————————|———————————————————————————5——7—|—8————(8)——8——7——|
 |————8————————————7—————————————————|—5——————————————————(5)—————————|—————————8———————|
 |———————6————————————5———(5)——5———8—|———5——5——5——5——5——5——————5——————|—————————————————|
 |———————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|—————————————————|
2nd time skip to V. 3rd time skip to VI.                  *omit on 1st Verse
but I  say                       Oh now now    Oh
   down                       and I  say                       If I   am
 drop   out                   I    say                                    I   I
  substitute Bass Fill 1 on 3rd and 4th verses ( see Below )
 rest
 |———————————————————————————————————|——————————————————————————|———————————————————|
 |——5———————————————————5————————————|—5——3—(3)—————————————————|———————————————————|
 |—————5——5——5——5——5——5——————————————|——————————5——(5)—3——1——5——|—3———1——(1)————————|
 |———————————————————————————————————|——————————————————————————|—————————————3——3——|
III.2nd Chorus(0:52)
 I  shot  the shriff   but I swear   it was in self defense(Oh no)  Oooh ooh(Yeah   I said)
play Fig 1. twice

 I  shot the shriff  I   and they say it is a capital  offense  Ooh ooh  ooh
                  (Oh Lord             oh  now)       (Yeah         Yeah       Hear this)
IV. 2nd Verse (1:12)
     Sheriff John Brown always  'ated  me             For what   I don't Know     Every
  time    I   plant a  seed         he  said  kill it before it  grows         He  said
play Fig 2.

 kill   them  before  they  grow           And  so        and  so           Read it in the news
        bass fill 1———————————————————|
 |———8———(8)—8—7——|———————————————————|——————————————————————|————————————————|
 |——————————8—————|—5—5—————5——————5——|—5——3—(3)—————————————|————————————————|
 |————————————————|———————5——————5————|——————————5—(5)3—1—5——|—3——1—(1)———————|
 |————————————————|———————————————————|——————————————————————|—————————3—(3)——|
V.(2:33)go back to Fig 1 VI. Outro Chorus (3:29)play Fig 1 until fade
 guity I will pay   I shot the sheriff   Lord  I didn't shot the deputy  no            Yeah
  I shot the sheriff   but   I didn't shoot no deputy     Yeah  So yeah
                  
Thats it. Now that wasn't to hard

About Bob Marley

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley (February 6, 1945 May 11, 1981) was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers (19641974) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (19741981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited for helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience.

How to Read Bass Tabs

Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:

1. The Basics

Strings and Frets:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:
- The top line is the highest-pitched string (G on a 4-string bass).
- The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (E on a 4-string bass).
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------------------|
A|---3---------------|
E|-------------------|
            
```
This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.

2. Common Techniques

Hammer-On (h):
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------5h7---------|
            
```
Pull-Off (p):
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------7p5---------|
            
```
Slide (/ or \):
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------5/7---------|
            
```

3. Advanced Techniques

Bend (b): Push the string up or down to raise the pitch. Example: G|-------7b9---------|
Vibrato (~): Shake the string slightly after playing a note to create a vibrating sound. Example: G|-------7~----------|
Muted Notes (x): Rest your finger lightly on the string without pressing a fret and pluck for a percussive "click" sound.

4. Rhythm and Timing

Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.

5. Slap and Pop

Slap (s): Strike the string with the side of your thumb for a percussive sound.
Pop (p): Pull the string away from the fretboard and let it snap back.

Practice Makes Perfect

Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸

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Bob Marley — I Shot The Sheriff bass tabs