Crumbs from Your Table

Song infobox
Name = Crumbs from Your Table


Type = Song
Artist = U2
alt Artist =
Album = How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Published =
Released = 22 November/23, 2004
track_no = 8
Recorded =
Genre = Rock
Length = 5:03
Writer =
Composer =
Label = Island / Interscope
Producer = Steve Lillywhite with Jacknife Lee
Background = #D8BFD8
Tracks =
prev = "A Man and a Woman"
prev_no = 7
next = "One Step Closer"
next_no = 9

"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.Fact|date=February 2008 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.Fact|date=February 2008

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.