Changes

"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 keyboard 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. A brief sample of the words "who do you think you're fooling?" often surrounded (spoken by Reznor in the demo, but not present in the album version) is usually played at the very end of the song in , with performances during the [[Pretty Hate Machine Tour]]playing the sample more often during the outro.

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 was then only four members, all synthesizer parts were absentplayed via tape, leaving only loud with more emphasis given towards the 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)bass lines. 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.