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Roxanne you don't have to put on the red light
Those days are over you don't have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne you don't have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money you don't care if it's wrong or if it's right
Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light) Oh
I loved you since I knew ya
I wouldn't talk down to ya
I have to tell you just how I feel
I won't share you with another boy
I know my mind is made up so put away your make-up
I told you once I won't tell you again it's a bad way
Roxanne you don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne you don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne (you don't have to put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (you don't have to put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Those days are over you don't have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne you don't have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money you don't care if it's wrong or if it's right
Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light) Oh
I loved you since I knew ya
I wouldn't talk down to ya
I have to tell you just how I feel
I won't share you with another boy
I know my mind is made up so put away your make-up
I told you once I won't tell you again it's a bad way
Roxanne you don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne you don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne (you don't have to put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (you don't have to put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Roxanne (put on the red light)
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
Track duration: 03:09
"Roxanne" as written by Gene Redd,, Jimmy Crosby, Gordon Matthew "sting" Sumner
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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It's understandable that a lot of people don't get that "putting on a red light" refers to going out and being a prostitute.
The Roxanne the song refers to is a prostitute. The speaker has decided he is in love with this prostitute, and he wants her to quit. He is telling her that he could support her, so she doesn't have to put on the makeup and the dress she usually wears to sell herself. When he says, "You don't have to put on the red light," he means that she doesn't have to go out and sell herself anymore, he is going to take good care of her and respect her.
Of course, this is just my humble interpretation, but I hope I have helped some of you guys understand it.
The person the song is sung about sounds like a complete jerk in the middle of the song - he implies she should be grateful he didn't disrespect her (wow, what a stand-up guy...) but tells her to put her stuff away and to stop working because "it's a bad way" (perhaps he's highly religious and his beliefes tell him so?) and he doesn't want to "share" her (which implies he's either very jealous and thinks she'll magically fall in love with a client - highly unlikely as this is just business for them, in the same way that that lady that sold me my car isn't really THAT interested in my personnal life - or perhaps he doesn't seem to understand that prostitutes deal in sex not love - pretend love, yes, but real love? For a woman, or anyone, to be like that you'd basically have to fall in love with people at the drop of a hat - someone like that would more likely end up in a dead-end marriage that fizzled out than at a red light district...)
In summary, this song is about the types of men who think they can "save" prostitutes.... from what? their independence and financial security?
Roxanne is obviously about prostitution, and how sting cant stand having his true love share other men as her job..
great song though :)