U2: Crumbs From Your Table Meaning

Crumbs From Your Table Lyrics

From the brightest star
Comes the blackest hole
You had so much to offer
Why did you offer your soul?
I was there for you baby
When you needed my help
Would you deny for others
What you demand for yourself?

Cool down mama, cool...

1. anonymous

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   May 22nd 2018 !⃝

   Mark 7:24-7:29
2. anonymous

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   May 17th 2011 !⃝

   I agree that it's a big swipe at the west, the US in particular. Why, I am not too sure? Bono spent a great deal of time with former Pres Bush in helping to secure a record amount of aid to Africa to help with the awful AIDS crisis. So much has been given, and more should be donated yes, but personal responsibility never seems to be mentioned. Something Bono and most of the intellectual left often ignore. I admire Bono as a great humanitarian and possibly the best rocker of his generation but I often find his knocks against America a "kind of slap in the face." I have not really heard Bono pony up much thanks to Pres Bush for all he did post 9/11 for African aid, instead he "piles on Bush" after Pres Obama election. Anyway, I first thought 'Crumbs' was a real slap at the U.S. for the War On Terror, etc. The line "I was there for you baby when you needed my help....." I figured was about how U2 stepped forward in NY after the attacks and gave performances for the NYPD/FDNY and families as well as Bono's big hearted gesture at the Super Bowl halftime show where he showed the American Flag he had on the inside of his jacket. I felt Crumbs was about America going too far in pursuit of terrorists and thus pissing off much of the world, human rights cry babies, lefty sissies, etc but I can see that it's mainly about the AIDS crisis in Africa. The Sister Anne line is most crucial to me in this fact. Also the line "where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die..." is telling due to much of the worlds numbness about Africa and it's many social problems. I am still sure that much of hard swipes are directed at America. Bono has had many love/hate revelations with the USA since the early 80's. His talent and humanitarian cred aside, he is often unfair when he is critical of the U.S. in my opinion.
3. anonymous

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   Jun 4th 2009 !⃝

   This song is about Bono's campaigning for AIDS charities in Africa The title as another poster pointed out, refers to how what for a western country is a small amount of money, in Africa it could mean the difference between life and death for HIV/AIDS patients who can't afford to pay for medical treatment, hence the line "where you live should not decide whether you live or whetehr you die". The line "3 to a bed, sister Anne she said, Dignity passes by" refers to the awful conditions in a hospice for HIV/AIDS victims which Bono visited.Sister Anne is one of the nurses who runs it.
4. anonymous

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   Jun 8th 2008 !⃝

   I really appreciate your scholarship. I must confess that I am an obsessive U2 fan, which often troubles me. The Crumbs song in particular haunted me with its cryptic message the first time I heard it. The lyrics are making exceedingly subtle references to scripture that 9/10's of their audience really doesn't have the time or care to parse. Unfortunately, I do. But being a student of comparative mythology and poets like Dylan Thomas, I am often swayed in contrary directions along a fearful path upon which I feel somewhat condemned to travel. If scripture is the answer, as you articulate very elegantly, I'm sure I'll find my way eventually. The study of the Bible is an enormous task and I'm always looking for an interesting teacher. Thanks
   
   Oh, there's a poem by Langston Hughes called "Luck." It borrows this imagery and it's all about love. Look it up. It is a stark, uncompromising, unappeasing poem. It is rather bleak. But I don't know: that's just my interpretation.
5. anonymous

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   Dec 19th 2007 !⃝

   "You had so much to offer why did you offer your soul" the speaker is painting a portrait of the subject, and this portrait is anything but flattering. "I was there for you baby when you needed my help" "would you denty to others what you demand for yourself" Selfishness and a lack of compassion towards others.
   
   "you speak of signs and wonders but I need something other" "I'm waiting for the crumbs from your table" Don't be so self-centered, reach out and make yourself a benevolent tool for the elevation of the human condition.
   
   I don't know what "three to a bed" means maybe something about each of us joining into a community of care and selflessness. "Dignity passes by" I leave that for another interpreter in this internet community of men and women living in the gutter but staring at the stars.
6. anonymous

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   Aug 20th 2007 !⃝

   Like many U2 songs this could mean 2 things or 3 or maybe 5 different things (e.g. "One"). But I believe Theresa1's intepretation is most compeling. She rightly asserts that Bono is stealing from the New Testament concerning how many followers of Jesus keep demanding more and more signs and wonders to prove his claims. It's probably about The Soviet Union also but my sense from the first time I heard it was that it was a personal song, meant for each of us specifically.
7. anonymous

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   Feb 25th 2007 !⃝

   I used to like these nuts until they went UN Socialist on us. The song is about the U.S. Bono has it out for the US while he stashes his millions in Amsterdam to avoid Corporate Taxation. He's a complete hypocrite.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
8. MiracleDrug

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   Nov 11th 2006 !⃝

   I read in an interview with bono that this song is about russia, and how they don't give back to their people and their people are suffering. "do you deny for others, what you demand for yourself" and the "cool down, mama, cool off..." well, russia is "mama" and she is not taking care of her people and she needs to cool down and take a look around. I wish I could remember the site I found that interview on...That's gonna bother me now. Lol.
9. anonymous

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   Apr 25th 2006 !⃝

   This song is about how the American Government offers countries like Africa the 'crumbs' of their aide... piss poor of anything
10. theresa1

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    Dec 28th 2005 !⃝

    This is an example of adult spiritual spoiled brat syndrome. It is yet another case of someone having an adequate chance to pursue a course of scriptural truths from God's word that they have heard of; but deciding to sit, rebel, test, and be insolent instead. Dig this:
    
    "You speak in signs and wonders
    But I need something other
    And I would believe if I was able
    But I'M WAITING for the crumbs from your table."
    
    All the evidence that people need that God's words are true, and that they owe to follow and OBEY them is built into people's consciences; testified by creation around them; and verified by history, honest science, and the state of the world - fulfilled prophecy.
    
    People who really don't want to bother themselves with obeying ALL of God's commands make excuses. Today, as in the time Christ walked the earth, rather than admit to Jesus' rightful leadership and the truth of his teachings, THOSE WANTING TO STAY IN DENIAL KEEP WAITING FOR "A SIGN".
    
    Jesus response to them was: "A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah. With that he went away, leaving them behind." (Matthew 16:4) After Jesus rose from the dead after three days as Jonah prophetically came out of the belly of a fish after three days; it should have been clear to the Pharisees and others what Jesus meant, and that this is something God carried through. Nevertheless, many of these wicked people failed to change their mind even after this.
    
    Crumbs? Whose "crumbs" is Bono waiting for - ones from Jesus, as in the biblical account this is obviously copped from? In that case, here's a question: Why? That makes no sense. If he's borrowing language right out of God's book, why is he ignoring its context? In the scriptural account, a Phoenician woman, not of the Jewish nation, which Jesus was assigned to help first, requested help from Jesus. Jesus let her know by metaphor that (at that time) his service was to be primarily to the Jews; but she humbly responded: "Yes, Lord; but really the little dogs do eat of the crumbs falling from the table of their masters." Jesus praised her great faith and helped her (daughter)immediately. (Matthew 15:21-28)
    
    Nearly 2000 years have gone by. The time has long since past of Jesus's preaching basically only to the Jews, with others waiting for "crumbs", as it were. Even before he left the earth, Christ's followers were told to "make disciples of people of ALL the nations...teaching them to observe all of the things I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19,20)
    
    So Yahweh/Jehovah and Jesus' Christ's teachings, in full slices of the "bread of life" rather than crumbs, have been available to the world, plentifully, for a long, long time.
    
    The real question is WHY some people haven't done what they should and picked up the whole good slices to eat them - as God has made clear that they need to do. It would be a mistake to wait for any further "sign" to do so - they're already all there.

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