Terrible Lie
Terrible Lie (Sympathetic Mix)
Terrible Lie (Empathetic Mix)
Set Staple
About
Terrible Lie is the second song off of Pretty Hate Machine and begins directly at the end of Head Like A Hole (the end of the latter bleeding into the beginning of the former).
Meaning
The song is about having a belief in God while wondering about all the suffering (mostly personal/internal suffering) that one goes through in life, about wanting to believe and wanting to be hopeful but being constantly proved wrong by events in one's life. It's "everyman" subject matter and distinct melody make it one of Nine Inch Nails' better known songs and a staple of the live concerts.
Song Credits
- Production: Flood, Trent Reznor
- Engineering: Flood,John Fryer, Doug de Angelis
- Mix: John Fryer, Trent Reznor
Appearances
Halos
- Pretty Hate Machine
- Head Like A Hole (remixes)
- Closure (live)
- And All That Could Have Been (live)
- Beside You In Time (live)
Versions
Terrible Lie
The second track from the album Pretty Hate Machine, it is perhaps the most industrial selection on the record. It's intro beat bleeds in from the outro of Head Like A Hole and pops up occassionally throughout the song. The song is almost entirely synthetic and is extremely layered when compared to most of the other songs on the album.
Terrible Lie (Sympathetic Mix)
Present on the [[Head Like A Hole (halo)|Head Like A Hole] single, this version is essentially the same as the album version with a few slight differences such as an unadulterated intro, a bit less layering and different arrangements, as well as a different outro and ending. Due to it's similarity to the album version, however, it's often considered more of a "single mix" for the song, which is used as a B-Side to Head Like A Hole.
Terrible Lie (Empathetic Mix)
Present on the [[Head Like A Hole (halo)|Head Like A Hole] single, this version is notably more remixed than the other version, lacking the normal intro and is much more upbeat as well with different arrangements of the main parts of the song, though the flow of the song remains intact. The background noises are much clearer as well and the song is noticably extended in this version. Some of the lyrics (such as the distorted "Hey God!") are much clearer in this version as well. It also has a different ending as well.
Performed live
Terrible Lie is often the opening song of Nine Inch Nails shows following the intro tape. The ending of the song is extended when performed live and is often concluded with Trent screaming "you promised me". During the With_Teeth tours, Aaron North plays a short solo during the last few moments of the song. This is a short, three note repeating solo.
Aaron North solo tab
Standard tuning
e|-----------------------------
B|-----------------------------
G|-----------------------------
D|-13-15-16--13-15-16--13-15-16
A|-----------------------------
E|-----------------------------
Lyrics
Hey God, why are you doing this to me?
Am I not living up to what I’m supposed to be?
Why am I seething with this animosity?
Hey God, I think you owe me a great big apology
Terrible lie
Hey God, I really don’t know what you mean
Seems like salvation comes only in our dreams
I feel my hatred grow all the more extreme
Hey God, can this world really be as sad as it seems
Terrible lie
Don’t take it away from me
I need someone to hold on to
Don’t take it away from me
I need someone to hold on to
Hey God, there’s nothing left for me to hide
I lost my ignorance, security and pride
I’m all alone in a world you must despise
Hey God, I believed the promises, the promises and lies
Terrible lie
You made me throw it all away
My morals left to decay
How many you betray
You’ve taken everything
Terrible lie
My head is filled with disease
My skin is begging you please
I’m on my hands and knees
I want so much to believe
I need someone to hold on to
I need someone to hold on to
I need someone to hold on to
I need someone to hold on to
I give you everything
My sweet everything
Hey God, I really don’t know who I am
In this world of piss