Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords Gm, Eb7, Dm7, Cm7, Cm Easy key B
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
Gm Cm I shot the sheriff Cm Gm Gm Gm Gm But I did not shoot the deputy Gm Cm I shot the sheriff Cm Gm Gm Gm Gm But I did not shoot the deputy Eb7 Dm7 Gm Gm All around in my old town Eb7 Dm7 Gm Gm They're trying to track me down Eb7 Dm7 Gm Gm They say they want to bring me in guilty Eb7 Dm7 Gm Gm For the killing of a deputy Eb7 Dm7 Gm Gm For the life of a deputy Gm Cm7 Gm I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy Gm Cm7 Gm I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy Eb7 Dm7 Gm Sheriff John Brown always hated me Eb7 Dm7 Gm For what I don't know Eb7 Dm7 Gm Every time that I plant a seed Eb7 Dm7 Gm He said "Kill it before it grows" Eb7 Dm7 Gm He said "Kill it before it grows" 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 Eb7 Dm7 Gm Freedom came my way one day Eb7 Dm7 Gm And I started out of town Eb7 Dm7 Gm All of a sudden I see sheriff John Brown Eb7 Dm7 Gm Aiming to shoot me down Eb7 Dm7 Gm So I shot, I shot him down Gm Cm7 Gm I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy Gm Cm7 Gm I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy Eb7 Dm7 Gm Reflexes got the better of me Eb7 Dm7 Gm And what is to be must be Eb7 Dm7 Gm Every day the bucket falls to the well Eb7 Dm7 Gm But one day the bottom will drop out Eb7 Dm7 Gm Yes, one day the bottom will drop out Gm Cm7 Gm I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy Gm Cm7 Gm I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy
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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 A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between A major and F# minor. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | — |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | — |
| biii7 | Cm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G · Bb | 8× |
| biii | Cm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G | 4× |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| III | C# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | — |
| iv7 | Dm7 | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | D · F · A · C | 20× |
| #IV7 | Eb7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · G · Bb · Db | 20× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | — |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | — |
| bvii | Gm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D | 51× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | — |
| bii | Gm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D | 51× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | — |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | — |
| #iv7 | Cm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G · Bb | 8× |
| #iv | Cm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G | 4× |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | — |
| vi7 | Dm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A · C | 20× |
| #VI7 | Eb7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · G · Bb · Db | 20× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | — |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 5 different chords appear 103 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Dm7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over Gm, land on G, Bb, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Eb7, land on Eb, G, Bb — 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.
- On Dm7, follow the chord's notes (D · F · A · C) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + 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. The backbone is Gm, Eb7, Dm7, Cm7 — bvii–#IV7–iv7–biii7 from the A side, bii–#VI7–vi7–#iv7 from the F#m side. Dm7 briefly darkens the picture: minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minor. Ending on Gm, the song seals A as home.
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.
Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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