Crumbs from Your Table
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“Crumbs from Your Table” | |||||
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Song by U2 | |||||
Album | How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb | ||||
Released | 22 November/23, 2004 | ||||
Genre | Rock | ||||
Length | 5:03 | ||||
Label | Island / Interscope | ||||
Producer | Steve Lillywhite with Jacknife Lee | ||||
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb track listing | |||||
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"Crumbs from Your Table" is the eighth track of U2's eleventh studio album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
The song, which is about relief efforts in Africa, is a plea from Bono to First World countries to provide aid. The phrase "crumbs from your table" is used as a metaphor to illustrate how relatively small amounts of relief (food, money, medical supplies) from First World countries can make a significant difference in the quality of life for those in Africa. The line, "Would you deny for others / What you demand for yourself?" echoes this sentiment. The song also contains the lyrics "Where you live should not decide / Whether you live or whether you die." These lines are a common theme in Bono's speeches in which he tries to raise awareness about the problem of African poverty.
The song also is a metaphor about a relationship between a couple, in which, one of them, receives the crumbs from the table of the other one. This double metaphor (Africa/love) is usually part of Bono's speech live or in a conference.[citation needed] The title of the song comes from the Gospel of Luke and the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. Lazarus is a poor man who longs for the food that falls from the rich man's table.[citation needed]
The song is also included on the bonus DVD that comes with the special edition of the album. It has only been played a handful on times during the third leg of the Vertigo Tour.