You went into the kitchen cupboard
Got yourself another hour and gave
Half of it to me
We sat their looking at the faces
Of the strangers in the pages
Until we knew them mathematically

They were in our minds
Until forever
But we didn't mind
We didn't know better

So we made our own computer
Out of macaroni pieces
And it did our thinking
While we lived our lives
It counted up our feelings
And divided them up even
And it called our calculation
Perfect love

Didn't even know
That love was bigger
Didn't even know
Didn't even know that love was so, so
Hey hey hey hey

Hey this fire, hey this fire
I'm burning us up
Hey this fire, hey this fire
I'm burning us
Oh, oo oo oo, oo oo oo oo

So we made the hard decision
And we each made an incision
Past our muscles and our bones
Our hearts were little stones

Pulled 'em out they weren't beating
And we weren't even bleeding
As we lay them on our granite counter top

We beat 'em up against each other
We beat 'em up against each other
We struck 'em hard against each other
We struck 'em so hard, so hard til they sparked

Hey this fire, hey this fire
I'm burning us up
Hey this fire, hey this fire
I'm burning us up
Hey this fire, hey this fire
I'm burning us
Oh, oo oo oo, oo oo oo oo
Oo oo oo oo oo oo

Overall Meaning

In "The Calculation," Regina Spektor sings abouyt a relationship that’s built on a weak foundation, consisting of mere math and statistics rather than true love. The first verse describes two individuals who are looking at a book full of strangers and getting to know them "mathematically". They're spending time and effort on it, but it's meaningless - they're only seeing these people on paper, with no real connection or love.

In the second verse, they make their own computer out of macaroni and rely on it to do all of their thinking while ignoring their own feelings. It even counts their emotions and divides them evenly, leading them to believe that they have found the answer to perfect love. However, their ignorance of what love really is leads them down a dangerous path, as they burn themselves up by making a hard decision (possibly regarding their relationship) and ripping their hearts out.

The fiery metaphor in the chorus of the song suggests that they're burning themselves up in the choice that they've made. While they had no idea that love was bigger than what they thought it was, they have now realised the magnitude of what they've lost.

Line by Line Meaning

You went into the kitchen cupboard
You took some time for yourself to think and reflect

Got yourself another hour and gave
You were generous with your time and shared it with someone else

Half of it to me
You split your time evenly with the other person

We sat their looking at the faces
We observed the people in the pages of a book or magazine

Of the strangers in the pages
We were reading about people we didn't know

Until we knew them mathematically
We analyzed the patterns of their behavior to understand them

They were in our minds
We thought about them frequently

Until forever
We thought about them for a long time

But we didn't mind
We enjoyed having them in our thoughts

We didn't know better
We didn't realize that this wasn't a healthy way to interact with the world

So we made our own computer
We created a mental model of reality to make sense of it

Out of macaroni pieces
We used whatever tools and resources we had available

And it did our thinking
We relied on our mental model to make decisions

While we lived our lives
We went about our daily routines

It counted up our feelings
Our mental model attempted to quantify emotions

And divided them up even
We tried to make sense of feelings by putting them into categories

And it called our calculation
Our mental model labeled this process

Perfect love
We thought we had found a formula for love and happiness

Didn't even know
We were unaware of the true nature of love

That love was bigger
Love is a more complex and mysterious concept than we thought

Didn't even know
We were naive and ignorant

Didn't even know that love was so, so
We underestimated the depth and power of love

Hey hey hey hey
Transition to a new part of the song

Hey this fire, hey this fire
Our misguided approach to love and life is destructive

I'm burning us up
Our mental model is causing harm to ourselves and others

So we made the hard decision
We realized we needed to change our approach

And we each made an incision
We underwent a personal transformation

Past our muscles and our bones
We transcended our physical selves

Our hearts were little stones
Our hearts had become hardened and closed off

Pulled 'em out they weren't beating
Our hearts had become numb and lifeless

And we weren't even bleeding
We were still alive despite this transformation

As we lay them on our granite counter top
We examined our hearts to understand them better

We beat 'em up against each other
We challenged our own beliefs and assumptions

We struck 'em hard against each other
We were relentless in our pursuit of growth and self-awareness

We struck 'em so hard, so hard til they sparked
Our hearts were rekindled with passion and energy

Oo oo oo oo oo oo
Transition to the final part of the song

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