"The Larger Bowl" is the fourth track and third single from Rush's 2007 album Snakes & Arrows.

Inspiration and lyrical structure

The lyrics were written by the drummer and primary lyricist Neil Peart. The title was inspired by a "dysentery dream" he had while touring West Africa on his bicycle in 1988. Peart's book The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa includes a chapter entitled "The Larger Bowl" in which he describes the dream. The excerpt in which he mentions the song is as follows: "Anyway... a song was playing in the store, a plaintive ballad called 'The Larger Bowl.' Something about loneliness and the misfortunes of life, I recall. No such song as far as I know, but I like the title." In the early 1990s, Peart put words to the title. The song is written in the form of a pantoum.