Lyric discussion by AtomicCEO 

Cover art for My Mother's Only Son lyrics by Yonder Mountain String Band

My wife and I have been disagreeing on whether or not you should trust the narrator of this song.

She believes the storyteller's tale and thinks it's unfair that the sheriff shot him.

But I think the storyteller is just trying to talk his way out of being shot, and he's probably lying that he didn't know that the woman was married. He mentions that he's not known as being trustworthy.

What do you think? Is this elaborated on in the rest of the Sheriff's Saga tale?

My Interpretation