About The Song
“Shoot Low, Sheriff!” (also styled as “Shoot Low Sheriff”) is a song written by Carmol Taylor and Monroe Fields. It was recorded by American country music artist John Anderson and released on July 1, 1980, as the third track on his self-titled debut studio album, John Anderson. The album was issued by Warner Bros. Records under catalog number BSK-3459. Norro Wilson produced the recording. The track runs approximately 2 minutes and 12 seconds.
The song appeared as the B-side of the single “If There Were No Memories,” released in 1980 under Warner Bros. catalog number WBS 49275. “If There Were No Memories” reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. “Shoot Low, Sheriff!” itself did not chart independently as a single. The parent album John Anderson peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Recording sessions for the album took place in March 1980 at Columbia Studio in Nashville. Session musicians included Billy Sanford, Pete Wade, Reggie Young, Phil Baugh, Harold Bradley, Tommy Allsup, and Ray Edenton on guitar; Pete Drake and Sonny Garrish on steel guitar; Henry Strzelecki, Bob Moore, and Tommy Cogbill on bass; Ralph Gallant and Kenny Malone on drums; Hargus “Pig” Robbins, David Briggs, and Bobby Wood on piano; Tommy Jackson and Buddy Spicher on fiddle; and Terry McMillan on harmonica. Engineering was handled by Lou Bradley.
The composition was first recorded by co-writer Carmol Taylor on his 1976 album Song Writer, released on Elektra Records. Joe Stampley also recorded a version that same year for his album The Sheik of Chicago. Anderson’s 1980 version is a cover. The song later appeared on various compilation releases, including Essential (2019), Cheatin’ Songs: The Warner Singles (2020), and Black Sheep: The Complete Warner Albums (2020).
In 2022, Tyler Childers recorded a cover of the song for the tribute album Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute to John Anderson, released on Easy Eye Sound and produced by Dan Auerbach and David Ferguson. The track has also been performed live in collaborative settings involving Anderson and Childers.
Anderson’s debut album contained several other tracks that became singles, including “She Just Started Liking Cheatin’ Songs” (peak number 13 on Billboard Hot Country Songs), “Your Lying Blue Eyes” (peak number 15), “1959,” “The Girl at the End of the Bar,” and “Low Dog Blues.” The album established Anderson’s early association with traditional country material during his initial Warner Bros. period.
Primary sources list the songwriting credits consistently as Carmol Taylor and Monroe Fields, with publishing through Algee Music (BMI) or related entities. No major additional chart entries or international single releases are documented for Anderson’s version beyond its appearance on the 1980 album and related B-side single. Official audio is available through the John Anderson YouTube channel and Warner catalog reissues.
The combination of songwriting credits, production by Norro Wilson, album sequencing as track three on the debut release, and subsequent reissue and cover history places the recording within Anderson’s foundational commercial period on Warner Bros. Records.
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Lyric
Well, you better shoot low, sheriff, ’cause they might be crawlin’
Got a big load of booze that they’ll soon be a-haulin’
They’re running every night when the whippoorwill is callin’
So shoot low, sheriff, ’cause they might be crawlin’Old Uncle Bill’s got a still on a hill
He never worked a day and I guess he never will
He runs shine liquor that he sells it to Pa
It made Ma mad and she called the lawYeah, you better shoot low, sheriff, ’cause they might be crawlin’
Got a big load of booze that they’ll soon be a-haulin’
They’re running every night when the whippoorwill is callin’
So shoot low, sheriff, ’cause they might be crawlin’Well, Ma put the sheriff on Uncle Bill’s trail
She said, “Catch that sot and throw him in jail
He run out and left his wife as the little kids squallin’”
So shoot low, sheriff, ’cause he might be crawlin’Yeah, you better shoot low, sheriff, ’cause he might be crawlin’
Got a big load of booze that he’ll soon be a-haulin’
He’s running every night when the whippoorwill is callin’
So shoot low, sheriff, ’cause he might be crawlin’Uncle Bill held the bottle ‘tween his finger and thumb
He said, “If I leave any, you can have some”
Make him reach into his pocket for his last thin dime
And wear summer britches in the cold winter timeYeah, you better shoot low, sheriff, ’cause they might be crawlin’
Got a big load of booze that they’ll soon be a-haulin’
They’re running every night when the whippoorwill is callin’
So shoot low, sheriff, ’cause they might be crawlin’