PHOENIX 

Songs of change, grace and acceptance. The sense that this is life, and it’s all ok, runs through this collection of twelve lyric-intensive, piano driven songs.

CREDITS

All songs written by Annie Moscow 
All songs produced, arranged and orchestrated by Rachael Gold 
Graphic Design and Illustration: Tony Amato 
Mastered by David Shirk, Sonorous Mastering, Tempe, AZ 
Engineered and mixed by Rachael Gold 
Cover Portrait photo: Christiaan Blok 
Recorded at Melonball Studios, Phoenix, AZ PLAYERS:

LYRICS

BEAUTY OF THE NUMBERS 

(A. Moscow) 

I used to think love was a perfect thing 
But I don’t anymore 
Well maybe love still is a perfect thing 
It’s human nature’s a dif’rent story 

But I found beauty in the numbers 
Poetry in the game 
When I chart my life by candlesticks 
I see the patterns clear and plain 
When your lines keep comin’ up empty 
And you don’t know where you are 
Just say you’re sittin’ up under a dark cloud cover 
Waiting for the shooting star 

How you look at your life 
Well it all depends on how you read the graph 
If you stare too closely at a 
Downward trend 
You’re gonna flush down with the math 
‘Cause even in the brightest climbs 
Some shadows will appear 
But when the volume rises on a stagnant sea 
Then you know that change is near 

It’s the beauty of the numbers 
The poetry of the game 
When I chart my life by candlesticks 
I see the patterns clear and plain 
So when your lines keep comin’ up empty 
And you don’t know who you are 
Just say you’re sittin’ up under a dark cloud cover 
Waiting for the shooting star 

It’s all in 
How you ride 
Where you get off and 
Where you jump in 
It’s all in how you ride 
And are you ready to play that game again 

It’s the beauty of the numbers 
The poetry of the game 
When I chart my life by candlesticks 
I see the patterns clear and plain 
When your lines keep comin’ up empty 
And you don’t know where you are 
Just say you’re sittin’ up under a dark cloud cover 
Waiting for the shooting star

 

THAT WAS BEFORE THE WORLD CHANGED 

(A. Moscow) 

So I called up my bank I said 
Hey give me a loan 
He said You don’t have enough 
equity in your home 
I said “You used to do backflips at the sound of my name” 
He said Yeah that was before the world changed 

That was before the world changed 
That was before the world changed 
Close your eyes – count to 10 
Nothing’s the same 
Not since the time before the world changed 

So the counselor slash coach said 
What’s your 5-year plan? 
I said I got to year three but then it popped in my hand 
I said nothing stayed put to where I had it arranged 
She said Yeah 
That was before the world changed 

That was before the world changed 
That was before the world changed 
Close your eyes – count to 10 
Nothing’s the same 
Not since the time before the world changed 

I wanna yell 
Hey planet stop moving so fast 
I wanna play by the rules 
But the rules have to last 
Now there’s a bunch of good people walkin’ ‘round half insane 
And I think it started happen’ when the world changed

 

THAT’S THE WAY 

(A. Moscow) 

Today I am your queen of hearts 
Tomorrow I’m your loser 
I’ll wear the masks and play the parts 
Till I become the chooser 
The good news is Nothing lasts 
The bad news is Nothing lasts Forever 

Today I am your superstar 
Tomorrow I’m your loser 
It’s up and down this wild ride 
Till I become the chooser 
The good news is Nothing lasts 
The bad news is Nothing lasts Forever 
No nothing lasts forever 

It’s just a change of scenery from cityscape to greenery 
And back again till all I see is me and me and me. Just me 

The good news is Nothing lasts 
The bad news is Nothing last forever 

And that’s the way the cookie crumbles 
That’s the way the story goes 
That’s the way the kingdom tumbles 
Down and down the rabbit hole 

The good news is nothing lasts 
The bad news is nothing lasts 
Forever

 

FREE PASS 

(A. Moscow) 

I was a young Camelot bride 
Hung out with my grandma 
right before she died 
I had a beautiful figure 
Beautiful future 
Skin like peaches 
She said Look around – everybody’s damaged here 
Some more than others but let me be clear 
You gotta hang onto all these good things while they last 
No one gets a free pass Free pass 
No one gets a free pass 

She said I’ve seen all the celebrities rise and fall 
Hey You live long enough you get to see it all 
A thousand times over till you 
just shrug your shoulders and laugh 
No one gets a free pass Free pass 
Free pass 

She said Look around this place – everybody’s damaged here 
Yeah this is what it looks like at the end of your years 
So you gotta Count every blessing 
Smell every flower 
Enjoy all this beauty while it lasts 
No one gets a free pass free pass 
No one gets a free pass

 

BED & BREAKFAST IN NEW ENGLAND 

(A. Moscow) 

Don’t want no boyfriend 
No husband or mate 
My heart’s too young to fall in love and 
Too old to break 
Don’t want no 24/7 
Man all mine 
But I’ll meet you for the weekend 
Anytime 

At a bed and breakfast in New England 
We’ll walk around holding hands 
I’ll kiss you in the morning while we 
Make our little plans 
We’ll have coffee by the ocean 
Dinner by the bay 
You can tell me that I’m beautiful 
Make love and 
Go away 

La di da da da da da 
La di da da da 
La di da di da da da 
Yah ha ha 

Nothin’ lasts forever 
And certainly not you 
But we can pretend we’ll never end 
For a day or two 
I’ll meet you buy the ferry 
I’ll be there at 8 
Pack a bag of sandwiches and 
Don’t be late for the 

Bed and breakfast in New England 
We’ll walk around holding hands 
I kiss you in the morning while we 
Make our little plans 
We’ll have coffee by the ocean 
And dinner by the bay 
You can tell me that I’m beautiful 
Make love and go away 

La di da da da da da 
La di da da da 
La di da di da da da 
Yah ha ha

 

I THINK I UNDERSTAND YOU NOW 

(A. Moscow) 

My father was a boxer 
He went to school at night 
Got 3 degrees and a good career to raise his family right 
My mother, she worked in fashion 
Led an independent life 
She lived in New York City 
til she became his wife 
They moved out to the country 
to a place they could call their own 
But the price they paid for those 4 walls 
was more than they could ever have known 

And I think I understand you now 
I never thought I would 
But I think I understand you now 
You did the best you could 

They bought a house in Jersey 
A split with paneled den 
The grass was greener in New Jersey 
At least it seemed so then 
There were the Little league games for 15 years 
My mother never missed a game 
She cooked us dinner every night 
It was never twice the same 
She kept our house clean in New Jersey 
The perfect suburban wife 
Except for the times she would scream out loud 
she’d say “G-d I miss my life” 

I think I understand you now 
I never thought I would 
But I think I understand you now 
You did the best you could 

And you were so far from perfect 
And we kids knew it all 
That you were 
So far from perfect 
And we watched you take the fall 

But I think I understand you now 
I never thought I would 
But I think I understand you now 
You did the best you could

TEMPORARY TICKLE 

(A. Moscow) 

Kelly’s got a shoe thing 
She’s scoped out ev’ry mall 
She knows her stores and plots her course 
To visit with them all 
She gets a temporary tickle 
A momentary high 
A little piece of happiness to 
Help the day go by 

Katie’s got a new lover 
Knows how to bring her to her peak 
Makes her feel like a million bucks 
Maybe once or twice a week 
When he holds her tight everything’s alright 
In his technicolor town 
But even when he treats her bad he knows she’ll come around 

For that temporary tickle 
That momentary high 
That little piece of happiness to come 
Falling from the sky 
Yeah the temporary tickle 
Will make her high on life again 
If only for a few good moments 
Life will be her friend 

And she wants to go deep deep deep 
And she wants to go down down down 
Till she finds that place inside herself 
Where the spinning wheels stop spinning round 
Deep deep deep 
And she wants to go high high high 
Till she finds that perfect lover 

Oh Katie when you find him 
Won’t you send some love my way 
I think I’ll have to stand in line 
With all my friends today 

We’re all lookin’ for that temporary tickle 
That momentary high 
That little piece of happiness to come 
Fallin’ from the sky 
Yeah the temporary tickle 
We’re all searchin’ for the rain 
To pour on down and make us clean 
To face the day again 

And I wanna go 
Deep deep deep 
And I wanna go 
Down down down 
Till I find the place inside myself 
Where the spinnin’ wheels stop spinnin’ round 
Deep deep deep 
And I wanna go high high high 
We’re all looking for the answers in the sky 
We’re all looking for the answers in the sky

 

 GHOSTS 

(A. Moscow) 

The cars have pulled up and the guests have gone home 
and it’s quiet now 
Another year’s passed and the guests have been gone 
and it’s quiet now 

When everyplace we’ve ever been to 
still follows me like a dream 
When every touch every memory 
still follows me like a dream 

Inside’s the party and I am the host 
Of ghosts ghosts ghosts ghosts 
Ghosts 

Invisible cobwebs line every chair 
And it’s quiet now 
Around every corner I keep thinking I see you there 
But it’s quiet now 
There’s a funny pretty little shy girl 
who follows me like a dream 
She acts as if she knows me but all I can see is are these 

ghosts ghosts ghosts ghosts 
ghosts ghosts ghosts ghosts 
Ghosts 

Come dance with me 
Come dance with me 
Beautiful phantoms come waltzing in circles 
Swirling all in satins, organzas and purples 

(they say) 
Bend – Don’t break 
Give – Don’t take 
Bend -Sway 
Then Walk away from these Ghosts. 

Bend – Don’t break 
Give – Don’t take 
Bend -Sway 
Then Walk away 
They’re all Ghosts.

 

TRAVELER 

(A. Moscow) 

You say I’m a traveller 
Well I think you might be right 
I’ve travelled across this galaxy 
To be with all my friends tonight 
You say I’m a traveller 
Well from all the charts I’ve seen 
I gravitate to places where 
it’s peaceful, safe and clean 
That’s why I’m living in suburbia 
County living in suburbia 
Where the beds are warm 
and the floors are clean 
And the dogs are fat 
And the lawns are green 
We have the biggest stores 
You’ve ever seen 
In suburbia 

You say I’m a traveller 
Well I think you might be right 
I’ve travelled across this galaxy 
To be with all my friends tonight 
You say I’m a traveller 
Well then I think it’s pretty clear 
We’ve come here for the pizza 
Backyard barbecues and beer 

That’s why we’re living in suburbia 
County living in suburbia 
Where the beds are warm and the floors are clean 
And the dogs are fat 
And the lawns are green 
We have the biggest stores 
You’ve ever seen 
in suburbia 

There’s a path to the lake 
Where you can skate after school 
When the weather is hot 
You just jump in the pool 
There’s a 24-hour place to buy food 
You can walk to the store 
Through your safe neighborhood 
I have a two-car garage and a space of my own 
And there’s a target nearby 
with cheap Stuff for my home 

That’s why I’m living in suburbia 
County living in suburbia 
Where the beds are warm 
and the floors are clean 
And the dogs are fat 
And the lawns are green 
We have the biggest stores 
You’ve ever seen 
in suburbia

 

LOW TIDE 

(A. Moscow) 

It’s low tide 
So just relax my friend 
It’s low tide 
The waves will rise again 
But now it’s time to rest inside 
Because it’s 
Low tide 

It’s low tide 
The waves go up and down 
But now it’s low tide 
Just take a look around 
That’s the way it’s always been 
So take a little water in 
It’s low tide 

If you count all the starfish on the shore 
When the water comes in you won’t see them no more 
If you count all the footsteps you’ve left on your way 
When the water comes in it’ll wash them away 
If you count all the tears that you’ve shed on this shore 
When the water comes in it will lift you once more 

But now it’s 
Low tide 
The waves will rise again 
But now it’s low tide 
They go up and down my friend 
That’s the way it’s always been 
So take a little water in 
It’s Low tide

 

HEY JO 

(A. Moscow) 

It’s been a long day driving 
Out on the open road 
It’s been a long road to nowhere 
Is where it seems I’ve been goin’ 
And I’m sittin’ on top of this steering wheel 
Tryin’ to smack myself awake 
Then you turn to me so earnestly – you say 
Take a break 

And I say 
Hey Jo I’m ok Jo 
But there’s somethin’ about your smile 
I’m gonna let you take the wheel for awhile 

It’s been a long day drivin’ 
And this road is wearing thin 
I wanna get us fast through this dark dark night 
So a new day can begin 
And I’m clinging so close to this road tonight 
I’m like a dog with his fav’rite shoe 
Yeah I’m not letting go for anything 
But I’ll hand my keys to you 

And I say 
Hey Jo I’m ok Jo 
But there’s somethin’ about your smile 
I’m gonna let you take the wheel for awhile 

You can drive a little 
Let me close my eyes a little 
‘Cause I’ve been runnin’ like a champion 
And I’m tired to the bone 
Oh won’t you drive a little while 
Just for the 
Next 50 miles 
Won’t you take us in your steady hands 
And get us safely home

 

PHOENIX 

(A. Moscow) 

I’m lookin’ for that recipe here 
But tell me how do you make that lemonade 
From two old cans of beer 
And I’m wonderin’ should I run 
Or take that job at Trader Joes? 
When everything I’ve ever known is slippin’ away like sand between my toes 

She said 
When you get ready 
To go up and take your stand 
Your whole world will crumble 
Like dust in your hands 
The buildings will fall and a cold wind will blow 
And you’ll rise again like a Phoenix 
Once you let go 

Well I’ve got one foot in the future 
And two feet in the past 
And I’m three feet deep in broken things that were 
Never meant to last 
And even though you see me here 
I’m a million miles away 
And I don’t know where and I don’t know why 
But I know that I can’t stay 

She said 
When you get ready 
To go up and take your stand 
Your whole world will crumble 
Like dust in your hands 
The buildings will fall and a cold wind will blow 
And you’ll rise again like a Phoenix 
Once you let go