Who shot the Deputy?

Question

I know... It came to me in a dream last night.. If you listen to the song and use logic/and deductive reasoning it actually makes perfect sense.

10 points to whoever figures it out..

Answer 1

the sheriff

Answer 2

well, there have been numerous messages read into this song, and many other songs have been written that may well be connected to it, including

Johnny 99 by bruce springstreen
Mr Brown by marley himself
John Brown by Bob Dylan

they may or may not be connected, but its an interesting none the less..

his girlfriend claimed it was about abortion, perhaps the "planting seeds" part, but others claim that is a reference to the oprresion of black people, and perhaps even just about marijuana.

Marley was quoted as saying that some parts were real, he would not state wich parts, but if he was talking about opression (as he often was) then off course some bits were true, without being literally "true"

i have included a link to a site discussing this matter, and i shall include the two quotes wich i consider to be most noteworthy:

it is to my understanding that back then, most sherriffs were white, and the deputy was usually black, so when he states i shot the sherriff but not the deputy is saying I shot that racist john brown, but i did not shoot my brother, the deputy. Since he clearly states how much John Brown hates him, he states when he plants a seed, kill it, then kill them before they grow. He has to be talking about Black People. Black people are the seeds, that these John Browns don't want to grow. When the girlfriend said the song was about birth control, she probaly meant don't abort your seeds, your children.
- Brittni, Chicago, IL

I think that everyone is trying too hard to read into the song things that really aren't there. I think the seed being marijuana is way to obvoius. I agree that it is about dreams or a movement for freedom and that they are being stopped before they have a chance to grow or spread the word. I think that "I shot the sherriff, but I did not shoot the deputy" is just a way of expressing that black people were always being punished for crimes more serverly then necessary. It's like he is saying, "I did the crime, but you are punishing me for something much more serious". It's a well known fact that in the US, black people who stole bread to feed their children were sentenced to the same amount of time as white people who commited murder.
- Shelagh, Edmonton, Canada

"I want to say 'I shot the police' but the government would have made a fuss so I said 'I shot the sheriff' instead... but it's the same idea: justice." Bob Marley

So to answer your question, it is all symbols,

he is saying, yes, i shot the policeman, but i didn't kill anyone bad.

so i'm not sure if any deputies at all were harmed during the making of this song

Answer 3

Sheriff John Brown

Answer 4

Nobody did. Listen to the lyrics. The deputy is still alive. And last I heard, living comfortably in South Dakota somewhere. :)

Answer 5

The sheriff shot the deputy.

Answer 6

the sheriff did of course y else would he shoot the deputy but to frame the singer so the singer got mad and shot the sheriff but he didnt shoot the deputy cuz the deputy was already dead just a guess though

Answer 7

I shot the sherrif but I did not shoot the deputy maybe it was the sherrif

Answer 8

Darn that earthling4luv girl... I thought I'd gotten away with it.Now they're going to re-open that case again...Good thing that the main witness is dead.

Answer 9

Probably 50 cent.

Answer 10

I think the Andy Griffith shot him.