ROXANNE
Jacek Koman Lyrics


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Will drive you
Mad

Roxanne
You don't have to put on that red light
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it is right
Roxanne
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
Roxanne
You don't have to sell your body to the night

His eyes upon your face
His hand upon your hand
His lips caress your skin
It's more than I can stand

(Roxanne) Why does my heart cry?
(Roxanne) Feelings I can't fight
You're free to leave me, but just don't deceive me
And please, believe me when I say I love you

Yo que te quiero tanto, qué voy ha hacer
Me dejaste, me dejaste en un tango
En el alma se me fue
Se me fue el corazon
Ya no tengo ganas de vivir
Porque no te puedo convencer
Que no te vendas Roxanne

Roxanne (Why does my heart cry?)
You don't have to put on that red light
Feelings I can't fight (You don't have to wear that dress tonight)

(Roxanne)
You don't have to put on that red light
Roxanne
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
Roxanne





Roxanne

Overall Meaning

The song Roxanne by Jacek Koman is a poignant and emotional exploration of the experience of a man in love with a prostitute named Roxanne. The first verse of the song sets the scene by telling Roxanne that she doesn't have to put on her red light, walk the streets for money, or care about whether her actions are right or wrong. It's a sympathetic acknowledgement of the fact that prostitution is often not a choice, but is instead driven by the economic circumstances faced by many women.


The chorus of the song repeats this theme, with Koman pleading with Roxanne to let go of the dress that identifies her as a prostitute, and to not sell her body to the night. The second verse is more personal, with Koman describing how he sees Roxanne with another man, and how it tears him apart. The chorus returns, with Koman asking why his heart is crying, and admitting that he can't fight his feelings for her.


Line by Line Meaning

Will drive you Mad
The actions of Roxanne could potentially cause someone to go insane.


Roxanne You don't have to put on that red light Walk the streets for money You don't care if it's wrong or if it is right
Roxanne, you don't have to prostitute yourself to make a living. It doesn't matter to you if it's morally right or wrong.


Roxanne You don't have to wear that dress tonight Roxanne You don't have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne, you don't have to dress up for work tonight. You don't need to submit your body to the dangers of prostitution.


His eyes upon your face His hand upon your hand His lips caress your skin It's more than I can stand
The sight of someone else touching and kissing Roxanne is too much for the artist to bear.


(Roxanne) Why does my heart cry? (Roxanne) Feelings I can't fight You're free to leave me, but just don't deceive me And please, believe me when I say I love you
The artist questions why they have such strong emotions for Roxanne. Though they acknowledge that she is free to go, they plead with her not to lie and to believe that they truly love her.


Yo que te quiero tanto, qué voy ha hacer Me dejaste, me dejaste en un tango En el alma se me fue Se me fue el corazon Ya no tengo ganas de vivir Porque no te puedo convencer Que no te vendas Roxanne
I love you so much, what am I to do? You left me alone in a tango. My soul and heart have left me. I no longer desire to live because I can't convince you not to sell yourself Roxanne.


Roxanne (Why does my heart cry?) You don't have to put on that red light Feelings I can't fight (You don't have to wear that dress tonight) (Roxanne) You don't have to put on that red light Roxanne You don't have to wear that dress tonight Roxanne
Roxanne, you don't have to sell yourself tonight. The singer cannot control their emotions for Roxanne and asks her again not to engage in prostitution.




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, FOX MUSIC, INC.
Written by: Baz Luhrmann, Mariano Alberto Martinez, Marianito Mores, Craig Pearce, Gordon Matthew Sumner

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@oliyuprimizhu1326

Moulin rouge is actually based off a french novel “La dame aux camélias”, written by Alexandre Dumas jr. (The bastard son of the guy who wrote The Three Musketeers). The novel itself is based on a true story, on the relationship between Alexandre Dumas jr. and a courtesan named Marie Duplessis, who died at age 23 of a chest disease.

The novel tells the story of Armand Duval, a young man who falls in love with a courtesan, Marguerite. They begin a liaison, with Marguerite being a very famous and sought-after courtesan, and Armand being a young man of modest means. As he can not alone sustain his lover’s lavish expenses, she continues to take clients. It almost drives Armand mad with jealousy, and Marguerite, out of love for him, decides to quit her expensive lifestyle and retire with him to a countryside estate, while he plans to repay her debts with his dead mother’s inheritance. They live peacefully until Armand’s father appears. He writes a letter, asking for Armand to leave Marguerite, but he refuses. Armand’s father then secretly goes to see Marguerite and asks her to leave his son, and explains that if the two of them were to continue their relationship it would ruin Armand, he would be ridiculed and scorned by all, along with their family name and that Armand’s younger sister would never be able to marry the man she loves if her family’s name was tarnished as it would be.

Marguerite then leaves Armand, making him believe she has grown bored and had taken a new lover. Mad with jealousy and devoured by grief, he takes a lover himself as a revenge, behaving coldly and cruelly towards her at every social gatherings where they see each other.

Armand then asks her to come see him, and they end up falling into bed, after Armand mocks, taunts and finally begs her to come back to him, promising he would love and take care of her, no matter what. It’s a very sweet and passionate night. She leaves in the morning, and when he goes to see her in her home, he is informed that she is with one of his clients. In a fit of despairing agony and hate, he sends her some money with a note saying “here is last night’s fee”. After which she leaves for England.

Eventually, he receives a letter from her, where she explains that she has loved him and no other and that she had never betrayed him. It shows her immense devotion and love (one of my favorite lines roughly translated: “Everyday brought a new insult from you, which I received almost as a joy, for it was proof that you loved me still.”) However, the letter also explains that she has an incurable illness, and that she will soon be dead.

Armand rushes back as fast as he can, only to find her already dead, and all of her possession already being auctioned off. He finds letters she wrote him as she was slowly dying, where she shows her love for him, her final days, with bailiffs already emptying her house because of her debts and empty halls as no one would visit a dying courtesan. Her last letters were desperate pleas for him to come see her (“Oh! Come, come, Armand, I’m suffering unbearably, I am going to die, my God.”)

Armand sits through Marguerite’s belongings’ auction where he meets the narrator who bought a book Armand gave to Marguerite, and that Armand would like to buy back. Which results in Armand telling him the whole story.

[Thanks for reading this novel of a comment, I really recommend the book, “la dame aux camélias”:)]



All comments from YouTube:

@castielanne2544

My god Ewan McGregor's voice is an eargasm.

@katyexley8190

I adore him and his voice 😍😍😍😍

@castielanne2544

Yesss me too

@lucreziamilano8350

omg yes...it's a drug

@lucreziamilano8350

+Dena-Alba Alba-Dena he is the one who sing haha search the video where he sings with Robbie williams

@dena-albaalba-dena8923

Lucrezia Milano as long as I remember on the extras of the movie, it says that nicole sings for real but ewan doesn't

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@jennafyt1335

Whoever was playing the violin deserves a grammy

@dikaia8949

Sure, total agreement 👍

@Nitekom

Sounds almost like a voice

@littlezimgirl

I wonder who played it, Feliciano?? Or someone who wished to be anonymous... One may never know 😉

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