Analysis
Bob Marley released the song “I Shot the Sheriff” in 1973 for The Wailers’ album Burnin’. The song’s story is told from the narrator’s point of view and is filled with a catchy yet mellow rhythm. The narrator confesses to killing the sheriff in self-defense but vehemently denies having committed the crime. He then claims that those are false accusations instigated against him by the forces of wickedness. In this instance, he is referring to Sheriff John Brown, the man he eventually murders.
“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, ooh” (MisterTigerWolf1 00:00:01-00:00:17).
Throughout this song, Bob Marley echoes the woes of countless African Americans and their constant state of unrest due to police brutality. This song resonates with the sentiments of African Americans and the recent Black Lives Matter Movement that sparked protests throughout the US. It is no surprise that Bob Marley composed “I Shot the sheriff” sometime after witnessing cases of police brutality in his hometown.
I think that the song’s message cannot entirely be defined as either positive or negative since it harbors a layered substance that could be interpreted either way. On one side, it could be construed as an antiauthoritarian element towards law enforcement, one whose sole purpose is to incite the masses to take up arms against the police. Conversely, the song could also be viewed as an unofficial anthem of anti-police brutality. This is because the narrator alludes to the fact that the sheriff always hated him, and he only killed him out of self-defense. Therefore, in this case, the narrator decided to take a stand against a system of corrupt police officers by killing the sheriff before he killed him.
“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 (pay, pay, pay, pay, pay)” (MisterTigerWolf1 00:02:08-00:02:36).
The narrator admits to having killed the sheriff in the song but adamantly denies murdering the deputy. The dead officer represents the entire corrupt system, while the other murdered official is just a small piece of the problem. Hence, the narrator decides to take down the whole system and completely assure his rights and safety. Through this lens, listeners are challenged to consider the bigger picture when it comes to police brutality, which is institutionalized racism, a deeply rooted rot spreading to individual police officers.
The song does not have a positive or negative meaning because it provides a meaningful one. It raises awareness about public harassment, a major issue in the modern world. The song challenges a listener to see how people may act when they are being attacked and realize that some individuals are not willing to believe one in case of self-defense. It is probably the rhythm of the song, and not the other means, that makes it possible to convey the idea.
The questions:
- How do you think the rhythm helps to elaborate storyline?
- What is your perception of the words “Every time I plant a seed/He said kill it before it grows”?
Interview
My interviewee’s interpretation of the song was the same or less as mine. First, they were in utter awe of the brilliant relevancy Bob Marley’s song still holds until this day. However, they immediately interpreted the major theme of the song as injustice due to the false murder accusations placed on the narrator. Though very general, this interpretation is certainly accurate and even builds on the topic of police brutality. This is because false charges and arrests targeted at African Americans have been a major problem for decades now – both are major examples of institutionalized racism.
While I strongly believe that the essence of anti-police brutality is cleverly represented in the song, my interviewee was of the opinion that the verses citing the shooting of the sheriff could be seen as a form of incitement against law enforcement. This further led to a rift between the people and those that are supposed to protect them. When I enquired about the meaning of these verses; “Every time I plant a seed,” “He said kill it before it grows,” “He said kill them before they grow,” they seemed not to grasp its importance. Yet, I think those verses represent the various methods used by oppressors to control the people.
My interviewee noticed: “It is curious how they use the word sheriff instead of police in a Jamaican reggae song.” After a productive conversation, we came to a consensus that “sheriff” was used to symbolize not only a corrupt and oppressive system but also its predominant Western nature. I do not think the observations made by my interviewee changed my feelings about the media whatsoever. Instead, they allowed me to understand the intentions behind the song further. This is because our opinions did not differ extremely.
The same level of education between my interviewee and me primarily influences the similarities in our reactions, especially the interpretation of the major theme of the song. This may have given us the ability to understand the imbalance in the world. I think that our cultural backgrounds influence our different opinions. While I was raised in a flexible family, my interviewee comes from a religious family. Hence, their focus is on the antiauthoritarian implications of the song. Apart from that, our social backgrounds in terms of friends are similar, and thus our capacity to have a nuanced outlook on current social issues.
Work Cited
“Bob Marley- I Shot the Sheriff.” YouTube, uploaded by MisterTigerWolf1, Web.