Chords + Lyrics | Roxanne
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
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.
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
I loved you since I knew you, I wouldn’t talk down to you.
I have to tell you just how I feel, I won’t share you with another boy.
Verse 4
I know my mind is made up, so put away your makeup.
Told you once I won’t tell you again, it’s a bad way.
Bridge 2
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light,
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 | 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
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.
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
I loved you since I knew you, I wouldn’t talk down to you.
I have to tell you just how I feel, I won’t share you with another boy.
Verse 4
I know my mind is made up, so put away your makeup.
Told you once I won’t tell you again, it’s a bad way.
Bridge 2
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light,
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: A Detailed Breakdown of the Progressions
Let’s go through all the chords found in Roxanne using Roman numerals, assuming a capo on fret 3:
Verse
The verse chords are clearly grounded in the VI chord (Aeolian).
||: Em (VI) | Bm/D (III/5) | Cmaj7 (IV) | Bm (III) |
| Am7 (II) | Dsus4 (V) | Esus4 (VIsus) | Esus4 :||
Keep these Roman numerals in mind as you play the progression—it will be helpful when soloing later.
Notice how the final sus4 chord feels unresolved, and then resolves when it repeats as the melancholic Em.
Bridge
The bridge stays on the sus4, building anticipation like this:
| Am7 (II) | Dsus4 (Vsus4) | Esus4 (VIsus4) | Esus4 |
Chorus
Lastly, Roxanne’s chorus chords mainly follow a I – IV – V – VI progression, with passing chords, like this:
| G5 (I) | G5 C (IV) | D5 (V) | D5/C# D5 | Em (VI) | Em Am7 (II) |
| G G5 | G5 C | D5 D5/C# | D5/C# D5 | Esus4 | Esus4 |
Here’s the chord chart I’ve created for you.

Roxanne Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
I’m pleased with how this chart turned out; it’s easy to read, and all sections are clearly identifiable.
If you’d like to download this chart, here’s a PDF link: Roxanne chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro. Here’s a link to the file: Roxanne iReal Pro.
Using the app, you can easily change the key—from playing with a capo on fret 3, as I do on the acoustic, to the original key of Gm (which works better with a band).
Roxanne TAB | Course Preview
My version of Roxanne aims to capture how The Police played it as a band, but on one acoustic guitar.
To achieve this, I broke up the strumming and played lower strings to mimic the bass line from the original recording.
Building on this foundation, I developed four different ways to play the verse. Here’s the TAB for example 1 of how to play Roxanne’s verse chords.

In the course, you’ll get everything you need to play Roxanne, with TAB loops for all sections.
By completing these lessons, you’ll be able to play Roxanne just like I do. But we don’t stop there.
After learning the one acoustic guitar arrangement, we’ll play the vocal melody with great attention to detail, and then improvise over the verse progression (you’ll love that part!).
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Roxanne – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Roxanne started as a Bossa Nova
Written initially as a Bossa Nova by Sting, Roxanne was one of the first songs The Police recorded. Though the band’s style was Punk/New Wave, Sting initially dismissed the idea, but when Stewart Copeland added his drumming, everything fell into place.
The lyrics were inspired by a trip the band took for a gig in Paris. Staying at a hotel in the red-light district, Sting drew inspiration from the lifestyle. When he saw a poster with the name Roxanne, the song came to him.
Since the band’s breakup, Sting has performed Roxanne in various styles, including as a Bossa Nova.
When the band reunited for their 2007/2008 tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary, they announced it by performing Roxanne at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. The tour that followed became the third-highest-grossing tour of all time.
Roxanne Chords: Continue Learning
Roxanne is fairly easy once you can play the verse. We’ll cover how to play it in just four steps in the course.
After that, we’ll play the vocal melody, practise Aeolian, and improvise using the mode over the verse progression.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Roxanne – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: