Roxanne | Chords + Lyrics (capo 3)
Intro
| Em | Em |
| Em | Bm/D | Cmaj7 | Bm |
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
Verse 1
| Em | Bm/D | Cmaj7 | Bm |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light.
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
Those days are over, you don’t have to sell your body to the night.
Verse 2
| Em | Bm/D | Cmaj7 | Bm |
Roxanne, you don’t have to wear that dress tonight,
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
walk the streets for money, you don’t care if it’s wrong or if it’s right.
Bridge 1
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light.
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 Am7 |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light.
Chorus 1
| G5 | G5 C | D5 | D5/C# D5 | Em | Em Am7 |
| G G5 | G5 C | D5 D5/C# | D5/C# D5 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
||: Roxanne (put on the red light) :|| x4
You don’t have to put on the red light, oh.
Instrumental
||: Em | Em/D :||
Verse 3
| Em | Bm/D | Cmaj7 | Bm |
I loved you since I knew you, I wouldn’t talk down to you.
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
I have to tell you just how I feel, I won’t share you with another boy.
Verse 4
| Em | Bm/D | Cmaj7 | Bm |
I know my mind is made up, so put away your makeup.
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
Told you once I won’t tell you again, it’s a bad way.
Bridge 2
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light,
| Am7 | Dsus4 | Esus4 | Esus4 Am7 |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light.
Chorus 2
||: G5 | G5 C | D5 | D5/C# D5 | Em | Em Am7 :||
||: (Roxanne) put on the red light :|| x4
You don’t have to put on the red light.
||: (Roxanne) put on the red light :|| x4
| G5 | G5 C | D5 | D5/C# D5 | Esus4 |
(Roxanne) put on the red light. You don’t have to put on the red light.
Roxanne | Chords + Lyrics (no capo)
Intro
| Gm | Gm |
| Gm | Dm/F | Ebmaj7 | Dm |
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 |
Verse 1
| Gm | Dm/F | Ebmaj7 | Dm |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light.
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 |
Those days are over, you don’t have to sell your body to the night.
Verse 2
| Gm | Dm/F | Ebmaj7 | Dm |
Roxanne, you don’t have to wear that dress tonight,
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 |
walk the streets for money, you don’t care if it’s wrong or if it’s right.
Bridge 1
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light.
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 Cm7 |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light.
Chorus 1
| Bb5 | Bb5 Eb | F5 | F5/E F5 | Gm | Gm Cm7 |
| Bb Bb5 | Bb5 Eb | F5 F5/E | F5/E F5 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 |
||: Roxanne (put on the red light) :|| x4
You don’t have to put on the red light, oh.
Instrumental
||: Gm | Gm/F :||
Verse 3
| Gm | Dm/F | Ebmaj7 | Dm |
I loved you since I knew you, I wouldn’t talk down to you.
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 |
I have to tell you just how I feel, I won’t share you with another boy.
Verse 4
| Gm | Dm/F | Ebmaj7 | Dm |
I know my mind is made up, so put away your makeup.
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 |
Told you once I won’t tell you again, it’s a bad way.
Bridge 2
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light,
| Cm7 | Fsus4 | Gsus4 | Gsus4 Cm7 |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light.
Chorus 2
||: Bb5 | Bb5 Eb | F5 | F5/E F5 | Gm | Gm Cm7 :||
||: (Roxanne) put on the red light :|| x4
You don’t have to put on the red light.
||: (Roxanne) put on the red light :|| x4
| Bb5 | Bb5 Eb | F5 | F5/E F5 | Gsus4 |
(Roxanne) put on the red light. You don’t have to put on the red light.
Roxanne’s chords and progressions
My version of Roxanne is an attempt to capture how The Police played it but on just one acoustic guitar.
I aimed to achieve this by breaking up the strumming and playing lower strings to imitate the bass line from the original recording.
In the first guitar lesson, we look at a transcription of the guitar, bass, and drums to work out what rhythm is best suited for the verse.
This gives us four examples of how to play the verse which is then easily developed for the bridge (step 2).
Even though the song never changes key, it does move from a minor verse to a major chorus. This is seemingly the simplest way to write a song, but few artists do it well, Sting is one of the masters.
Here’s Roxanne’s verse chord progression, clearly at home over the VI chord:
||: Em (VI) | Bm/D (III/5) | Cmaj7 (IV) | Bm (III) |
| Am7 (II) | Dsus4 (V) | Esus4 (VIsus) | Esus4 :||
Notice how the final sus4 chord feels uncertain, then when repeated as a sad Em, certain.
The bridge sticks with the sus4, building anticipation like this:
| Am7 (II) | Dsus4 (Vsus4) | Esus4 (VIsus4) | Esus4 |
Finally, the chorus is mainly a I – IV – V – VI progression using passing chords, like this:
| G5 | G5 C | D5 | D5/C# D5 | Em | Em Am7 |
| G G5 | G5 C | D5 D5/C# | D5/C# D5 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
In the course, over just four lessons, you’ll get everything you need to play Roxanne, just like I do in the video above. But we don’t stop there.
Following learning the one acoustic guitar arrangement, we play the vocal melody (with extreme attention to detail) and improvise over the verse progression (you’ll love that part!).
Here’s a link to the complete lesson series (members only): Roxanne 8 step-by-step guitar lessons with TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
Roxanne started as a Bossa Nova!
Initially written as a Bossa Nova by Sting, Roxanne was one of the first tunes The Police recorded. As the band was Punk/New Wave, Sting first dismissed it but after Stewart Copeland chimed in with his drumming, it all fell into place.
The lyrics were inspired by a trip the band had made for a gig in Paris. Residing at a hotel in the red-light district, Sting took inspiration from the lifestyle and when he saw a poster with the name Roxanne, the tune came to him.
Since the band broke up, Sting has played Roxanne in many different ways, including as a Bossa Nova.
When the band reunited for a tour in 2007/2008, to mark their 30th anniversary, they announced it by playing Roxanne at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
The tour that followed became the 3rd highest-grossing tour of all time.
Roxanne chords | Related pages
Advanced Acoustic
The advanced acoustic tunes use big chord extensions and sometimes, unique and complex chords that incorporate open strings.
Study these in-depth and you will gain a complete understanding of the guitar fretboard, including how to build any scale, arpeggio, or chord.
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
The Police
The Police was a New Wave band from England comprising Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland.
Unusually, it was Stewart’s brother, Miles Copeland III who managed the band and later, Sting’s solo career.
The Police on the web
Sting
Sting is an English musician who, prior to his solo career, had a band called The Police, with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.
Formed in 1977, The Police reached worldwide success after releasing their first single Roxanne only a year after they formed the band.
Sting on the web
Pop & Rock
Whenever a tune doesn’t fit into a specific genre, it tends to end up here, in the Pop & Rock section.
Learn tunes from Tom Petty, Eagles, Toto, Oasis, Elvis, Clapton, John Mayer, Kings Of Leon, R.E.M., Radiohead, Bruno Mars, and more.
Reggae & Ska
Originating from Jamaica as Reggae & Ska, these musical styles were largely made popular once records started to appear in the U.K.
Learn tunes from Bob Marley, Madness, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Afroman, 10cc, Men At Work, The Police, and many more.
