'Stay Human' is inspired by the life of the Italian peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni, who was murdered in the Gaza Strip in April 2011 by a Salafist group while working for the International Solidarity Movement. Arrigoni coined the term ‘stay human’ as a call to the world not to let our humanity be diminished by allowing human rights abuses to go unchallenged. The album was funded with the support of friends and fans via the PledgeMusic website. All profits from the Stay Human campaign went to the Greenbelt Festival, where I premiered the album live in August last year. Through this record I hope to raise awareness of Vittorio Arrigoni's life and mission; a beautiful man whose integrity and humanity has moved me deeply. I really hope you will enjoy it.
The Stay Human album will be released shortly on 208 Records.
Tracklisting:
1. Shooting Star
2. Stay Human #1 (Song for Vittorio)
3. Too Dark Too Deep
4. Anyhow
5. Stay Human #3
6. Fire Fire
7. Tell Me Why
8. Salvation
9. Stay Human #2
10. That Day Will Come
Album credits:
All songs written by Julian Pugsley
Produced by Andy Rowland
Recorded at Gatehouse Studios, Swindon, July 23rd to August 16th 2011
Album cover art by Richard Kilbey
Blake: vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, harmonica, percussion, stylophone
Helen Bousfield: bass, concertina, flute
Richard Bousfield: electric guitar
Joe Brown: vocals, bass, keyboards
Amy Evans: vocals, keyboards
Eddie Giddings: acoustic guitar, mandolin
Jon Godfrey: drums, percussion
Paul Kench: electric guitar
Richard Kilbey: slide guitar, banjo, mandolin
Andy Rowland: keyboards, programming
Chris Scrivens: drums
The Let's Celebrate Singers: vocals on 'That Day Will Come'
Thanks to: all the above for generously donating your time and skill to this project, Jenny Ann Pereira and everyone who pledged their support to this project, Benji Rogers and all at Pledge Music, Paul Northup, Eleanor Mottram, Tom Davies at Greenbelt, Mary Tapping at Sarum Link, Roger at Rover Music, Jill and Tony Perrett, Liz Weldon for the backing vocal arrangement on 'That Day Will Come' and, lastly, and most importantly, to Sarah and Daisy for still being there.
Special thanks to Andy Rowland - couldn't have done it without you! www.gatehousestudios.co.uk
This album is dedicated to Vittorio Arrigoni 1975-2011 - a winner, remembered for his dreams.

Lyrics:
Shooting Star
I’m a boy and you’re a girl
Nothing more beautiful in this world
Than our love that’s here to stay
Getting stronger every day
You’re a girl and I’m a boy
It’s our ever present joy
When we touch we are as one
We are complete and we are young
And our love’s a shooting star
You can see it from afar
It’s burning through the sky
And it’s never gonna die
Cos its light is there reflecting in your eyes
You’re a woman and I’m a man
No-one else could understand
How it felt to call your name
I will never feel the same
And our love’s a shooting star
You can see it from afar
It’s burning through the sky
And it’s never gonna die
Cos its light is there reflecting in your eyes
Travelling through space
Light years from our home
Chemicals and waste
Broken hearts and bones
Broken hearts and bones
We were young and we were brave
Now we’re closer to the grave
Though you’ve gone I don’t despair
Our star is burning bright somewhere
And our love’s a shooting star
You can see it from afar
It’s burning through the sky
Though the star’s already died
But its light is still reflecting in your eyes
Stay Human #1 (Song for Vittorio)
Stay human you taught us
Keep your hope burning bright
Don’t be scared of the shadows
Don’t be fooled by the night
In the menacing madness
In the terrible fight
Walk on into the darkness
Carrying your light
Uh-uh-oh-oh tell me it’s not true
Uh-uh-oh I still believe in you
Oh you know, we’ll never let you go
Bury him in the mountains
Under beautiful flowers
Blossoming for freedom
In the darkest hours
He was a friend and a brother
He came across the sea
He gave his life for a people
So their lives could be free
Uh-uh-oh-oh tell me it’s not so
Uh-uh-oh-oh the world needs to know
To know, we’ll never let you go
We’ll never let you go
Too Dark, Too Deep
Don’t go too dark too deep
You can’t hold your breath forever
Nobody could keep their feet
On the bottom of the ocean
One light is all we need to get us to the end
One light is all we need to make us whole again
Don’t go too dark too long
Don’t get lost amongst the shadows
Don’t dwell on all that went wrong
When you see the night come falling
One light is all we need to get us to the end
One light is all we need to bring us home again
Don’t go too deep too long
You must take time on the surface
Nobody can be that strong
We all need someone to talk with
One light is all we need to get us to the end
One light is all we need to make us whole again
One light is all we need to get us to the end
One light is all we need to bring us home again
Anyhow
It’s so hard living without you
It’s so hard with all this space
I never thought I could doubt you
Or thought that I’d be replaced
Looking back I see all the things
I would not do now
But just ask me anything
I’d do it for you anyhow
I see that I could be jealous
I see that I could be dumb
But what we had was so precious
I wish I could change what I’ve done
Looking back I see all the things
I would not do now
But just ask me anything
I’d do it for you anyhow
Anyhow
I wish that you were still with me
I hope that wish could come true
I know I could have done better
I guess that you thought so too
Looking back I see all the things
I would not do now
But just ask me anything
I’d do it for you anyhow
Anyhow
Fire Fire
Store the volume inside your head
Little children end up dead
Immunisation at an early age
Teach your children to turn the page
Fire Fire
Human beings are burning
The flames are getting higher
But the world just keeps on turning
Turning away
Fetch the engines lend a hand
Pour on water on this blazing land
Our indifference is complicity
With those who ordered these atrocities
Get your ticket for a tour of hell
Keep on ringing the emergency bell
Complete the jigsaw made of body parts
Match the torso to the broken heart
When people’s lives are valued less than land
Stay human take a stand
Cos we are guilty for just standing around
While our humanity is razed to the ground
Tell Me Why
Well I guess you were too beautiful
And yes, I confess, I was not suitable
But I would always be around
When life would bring you down
I’d take you on the town
And turn your head around so tell me
Tell me why tell me why I never dreamt I could ever lose
you
Tell me why tell me why I never meant any harm to you
Well I guess it wasn’t feasible
And yes, more or less, I am unreasonable
To be so impertinent as this
But something is amiss
And I cherish our last kiss
And want to ask you if you’d tell me
Tell me why tell me why I never dreamt I could ever lose you
Tell me why tell me why I never meant any harm to you
Now I’m on my own reflecting on the past
And why our love just couldn’t last
But it suddenly occurred to me a thought that must be true
You loved me less than I loved you
Tell me why tell me why I didn’t mean any harm to you
Tell me why tell me why I’ve never been so in love with you
Salvation
I've got to get away
Cos I just can't stay
Need a place to hide
I know it's going down
Need the higher ground
On the other side
I need salvation
Cold winds are blowing strong
No it won't be long
Till we feel the flood
I see the tides rise fast
Nothing's gonna last
Drowning in our blood
I need salvation
Do you know where the pure water flows
Can you tell me?
Do you know where I can rest my soul?
I've got to get away
Cos I just can't stay
Need a place to hide
I know what’s going down
Need the higher ground
On the other side
Do you know where the pure water flows?
Stay Human #2
Take all that you have baby
Throw it all away
Take all of your love darling
Give it all away
Oh Lord we gotta stay human
Oh Lord we pray
Oh Lord we gotta stay human
Oh Lord these days
The child was playing baby
Just yesterday
His father was beside him
But not today
We sat and worried baby
All the bills to pay
Now we know better darling
We have found our way
That Day Will Come
That day will come when the people will unite
That day will come when all wrong is put to right
That day will come when the light of truth shines down like
the morning sun
That day will come when all war will turn to peace
That day will come when the captives are released
That day will come when God’s love shall free our hearts from all of our pain
It’s the hope of every age
That we live to see the day
When the people will be saved and thy will be done
And a new dawn will arise
When his love lights up the skies
And the world set before our eyes will be as one
That day will come
That day will come when the nations cease to fight
That day will come when the darkness turns to light
That day will come when no longer shall be heard a sorrowful voice
That day will come when the last shall be the first
That day will come when the hungry shall not thirst
That day will come when God will wipe away the tears from our eyes
It’s the hope of every age
That we live to see the day
When the people will be saved and thy will be done
And all those without a choice
Will be singing with one voice
And the whole world will rejoice and live as one
That day will come
All lyrics written by Julian Pugsley and © Rockhopper Records 2011
“Vittorio is not a ‘hero’, he’s not a martyr, he is just a boy, like many of you, a boy whose intentions were to claim, with his own life, that human rights are universal and they must be respected and preserved everywhere all over the world; a boy who knew that injustice must be revealed and documented so that no-one, living a safe life, could ever say: I was not there, I didn’t know…stay human, peace be upon you.” Egidia Beretta Arrigoni, mother of Vittorio Arrigoni
Copyright Blake. All rights reserved.