The funny and serious dichotomy

At the risk of milking a joke too much, today I turn my attention to The Police's 1978 hit, Roxanne. Years before Sting embarked on a solo career with songs like Russians and campaigning to preserve Amazonian rainforests, he shows his social conscience by singing against prostitution.

As a child hearing this on the radio, I had trouble making out the lyrics. The chorus goes:

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)

I'm not joking when I thought that it sounded like "Ooo roo roo red right." It wasn't until years later that I properly understood the lyrics and the meaning of this song. Indeed, I used to sing it on the way to church on Sundays, because the congregation I belonged to met in a building that was on the same street as a brothel, and I often saw customers arriving and leaving said premises on a Sunday morning.