Contrary to Judge Simon Cowell's comment, ousted " American Idol [ tickets ]" contestant Jason Castro said he did not purposely forget the lyrics to "I Shot the Sheriff" so he would get kicked off.

"I definitely did not do that on purpose," the mild-mannered Castro said during a conference call with journalists Thursday (5/8). "I couldn't believe I forgot such a popular line, something that's written on your soul. Somehow, it slipped my mind. But I definitely didn't do it on purpose."

Instead, Castro blamed his ejection on "inexperience." The Texan only learned how to play guitar his freshman year of college and began singing shortly thereafter. He said he never learned a complete song, so trying to learn two in a week was difficult.

"Once we doubled up on songs, I wasn't really able to focus," he said. "My mind was just split and I just couldn't deliver either/or."