Changes

| BPM = 88| versions =Terrible Lie<br>Terrible Lie (Sympathetic Mix)<br>Terrible Lie (Empathetic Mix)<br>Terrible Lie (Demo - Martin Atkins tape)<br>Terrible Lie (''[[Closure]]'')<br>Terrible Lie (''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]'')<br>Terrible Lie (''[[Beside You In Time (halo)|Beside You In Time]]'')| live =[["Pretty Hate Machine" Promotional Tour]] through Presentpresent}}'''"Terrible Lie"''' is the second track on the 1989 release ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' and begins directly at the end of "[[Head Like A Hole (song)|Head Like A Hole]]" (the end of the latter providing a segue 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. Its "everyman" subject matter and distinct melody make it one of [[Nine Inch Nails]]' better known songs and a staple of the live concerts.

*Engineering: Flood, [[John Fryer]], [[Doug de Angelis]]

The second track from the album ''Pretty Hate Machine,'' it is perhaps the most industrial selection on the record. Its its intro beat bleeds in from the outro of "Head Like A Hole" and pops up occasionally throughout the song. The song is almost entirely synthetic and is extremely layered when compared to most of the other songs on the album. A dissonant theme runs through the outro of the song in the form of variously pitched [[samples]] of a woodblock.

*Produtcion Production and mix: Flood, Trent Reznor

"Terrible Lie" is the first song from a live performance shown on ''Closure.'' It follows footage from Nine Inch Nails fans and protesters alike as well as backstage footage. The classic "[[Pinion]]" intro leads into "Terrible Lie" and a spotlight projects the silhouette of Reznor onto the screen. The band is covered in cornstarch as per usual for the era and Reznor finishes up half singing/half saying "you promised me" into the mike. The video then goes to more fan and backstage footage and is eventually followed by "[[Piggy]]."On the DVD leak of this release, an older Lollapalooza '91 performance of this song is featured in the Appendage section, following "[[Now I'm Nothing]]." Both are recorded in bootleg-like quality.

The first song on both the CD and DVD/VHS versions of ''And All That Could Have Been,'' the song takes place with just the multi -colored set lighting on and doesn't does not have any special motif to it. During certain shots, one can see the sunset through the opening at the top of the stadium. Reznor can be seen wearing cornstarch makeup and mascara during this song, though most of it doesn't does not last through "[[March of the Pigs (song)|March of the Pigs]]." The song starts out with the recorded "[[The New Flesh]]"/"Pinion" intro typical to the [[Fragility 2.0]] shows, though this is entirely cut off along with the actual intro to the song on the CD version. The song ends with Reznor screaming "You fucking promised me!", before seguing directly into "[[Sin (song)|Sin]]."

The live version of "Terrible Lie," as performed on ''Beside You In Time,'' is much moodier than previous versions. During the choruses (during which "terrible lie" is chanted), a previously unheard riff is played by guitar and bass. Also, Reznor seems much more desperate while singing the "Don't take it away from me…" lines in the song. The added "live" solo at the end of the song has also been modified. These changes can likely be attributed to the fact that this is an almost completely new live line up. The music is also much more cleaner and defined than the [[Fragility]] tour and on ''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]].'' At the end of the song, the band doesn't play the extended live ending. Instead, they finish the song abruptly, just like as in the album version.

"Terrible Lie" is often the opening song of Nine Inch Nails shows following an introduction, which may be "[[Now I'm Nothing]]" ([[Lollapalooza]] '91, [[Wave_Goodbye_Tour#NIN.2FJA_2009|NIN/JA 2009]]) or, often, a manipulated pre-recorded version of "Pinion." The live version typically omits the intro tapekeyboard and bass harmony for the first half of the first chorus, a feature of the [[Terrible_Lie#Terrible_Lie_.28Sympathetic_Mix.29|Sympathetic mix]]. The ending of the song is extended when performed live and is often concluded with Reznor screaming "you promised me"repeatedly. At A brief sample of the words "who do you think you're fooling?" often surrounded the song in performances prior to the Fragility tour, most often at the end of the song(though also used at the start of the song on ''Pretty Hate Machine'' tours as it emerged from the sample collage). The variation performed on the [[Wave Goodbye Tour]] was mostly the same as the version introduced during [[Live: With Teeth]]. However, as the live band has been known is now only 4 members, all synthesizer parts are absent, leaving only loud guitar riffs (this is most noticeable in the chorus, and right before the outro where there is usually a 'hammer-synth' countermelody played over the chorus progression). During the Australian leg of the Wave Goodbye Tour, the song featured a minimalist intro, using the synth parts that can be heard during the choruses of the studio version. Due to the hectic nature of the song, the band will often destroy instruments and/or the stage during the song. This can be seen in the 1989-1991 footage that was added as an appendage to cause a little bit the "DVD" version of instrument destruction (though not always)''[[Closure]]''. During the [[Live: 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.

G|-9-11-12--9-11-12--9-11-12<br>D| ------------------<br>D|-13-15-16--13-15-16--13-15-16<br>

Am I not living up to what I’m I'm supposed to be?

Hey God, I really don’t don't know what you mean

Hey God, can this world really be as sad as it seems?

Don’t Don't take it away from me

Don’t Don't take it away from me

Hey God, there’s there's nothing left for me to hide

I’m I'm all alone in a world you must despise

You’ve You've taken everything

I’m I'm on my hands and knees

Hey God, I really don’t don't know who I am

<BR>{{succession box | title=[[Pretty Hate Machine#Track Listing|Pretty Hate Machine]] | before= [[Head Like A Hole (song)|Head Like A Hole]]| after=[[Down in It (song)|Down In It]]| track= 2}} [[Category:NIN Songs]][[Category:Songs With Unused Lyrics]]