Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords Gm, Dm7, Eb, Cm7 Easy key C

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Capo 0

Gm  Cm7  Gm  Cm7  Dm7

Riff
|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|
|--5--3------------------------|
|--------5--3--1--5--3--1------|
|-------------------------/3---|

Gm                 Cm7                      Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy
                   Cm7                      Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy
 
Eb     Dm7        Gm
All around in my home town
Eb               Dm7        Gm
They're trying to track me down
Eb                 Dm7            Gm
They say they want to bring me in guilty
Eb            Dm7    Gm
For the killing of a deputy
Eb         Dm7    Gm
For the life of a deputy    But I say?
 
Riff
 
Gm                 Cm7                     Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self-defense
Gm                 Cm7                     Gm
I shot the sheriff, and they say it is a capital offense
 
Eb      Dm7         Gm
Sheriff John Brown always hated me
Eb     Dm7        Gm
For what I don't know
Eb     Dm7         Gm
Every time that I plant a seed
Eb               Dm7        Gm
He said "Kill it before it grows"
Eb               Dm7        Gm
He said "Kill it before it grows", I say!

Riff
 
Gm                 Cm7                     Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self-defense
Gm                 Cm7                     Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self-defense
 
Eb      Dm7        Gm
Freedom came my way one day
Eb      Dm7          Gm
And I started out of town yeah
Eb        Dm7          Gm
All of a sudden I see sheriff John Brown
Eb         Dm7      Gm
Aiming to shoot me down
   Eb   Dm7   Gm
So I shot, I shot him down, I say!
 
Gm                 Cm7                      Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy
Gm                 Cm7                      Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy

Eb     Dm7        Gm
Reflexes got the better of me
Eb     Dm7        Gm
And what is to be must be
Eb     Dm7            Gm
Every day the bucket falls to the well
Eb              Dm7         Gm
But one day the bottom will drop out
Eb          Dm7               Gm
Yes, one day one day the bottom will drop out   But I say
 
Riff

Gm                 Cm7                      Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy, oh no
Gm                 Cm7                      Gm
I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot no deputy, oh no

Cm7 Dm7 Gm

End of song Play again?

Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Eric Clapton – I Shot the Sheriff: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Gm and ends on Gm. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Bb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

G minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = F (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G minor side because it both starts and finishes on Gm and Gm is heard 42 times while Bb never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Bb or to Gm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from Bb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Bb	Tonic — home	Bb · D · F	—
ii7	Cm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · G · Bb	13×
iii7	Dm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A · C	22×
V/vi	D	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	—
IV	Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · G · Bb	20×
V	F	Dominant — strongest pull home	F · A · C	—
vi	Gm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	G · Bb · D	42×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—

Seen from G minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gm	Tonic — home	G · Bb · D	42×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
III	Bb	Relative major — the bright side	Bb · D · F	—
iv7	Cm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · Eb · G · Bb	13×
v7	Dm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	D · F · A · C	22×
V	D	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D · F# · A	—
VI	Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · G · Bb	20×
VII	F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	F · A · C	—

Analysis

The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 4 different chords appear 97 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

Dm7 Gm Bbiii7 → vi Gmv7 → inatural-minor cadence ×22
Cm7 Gm Bbii7 → vi Gmiv7 → iminor plagal ×11

The move to watch is Dm7 → Gm, heard 22 times. From the Gm side it is v7 → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the Bb side it reads iii7 → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
Over Gm, land on G, Bb, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Dm7, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With Bb major shapes

Capo 1 + A shapes
Capo 3 + G shapes
Capo 6 + E shapes

With G minor shapes

Capo 3 + Em shapes
Capo 5 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones up
3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Gm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Gm, Dm7, Eb, Cm7 carry the song: vi–iii7–IV–ii7 relative to Bb, i–v7–VI–iv7 relative to Gm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Dm7 → Gm (iii7 → vi in Bb, v7 → i in Gm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. It closes on Gm, letting the Gm side have the last word.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.