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===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.
→Lyrics
| album =''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]''
| length =4:39
| BPM = 88
| versions =Terrible Lie<br>Terrible Lie (Sympathetic Mix)<br>Terrible Lie (Empathetic Mix)<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).
===Song Credits===
*''[[The Definitive NIN - Deep Cuts]]''
*''[[The Definitive NIN - Heavy Tracks]]''
===Video Games===
*''[[Rock Band|Rock Band 3]]'' (available for download)
==Versions==
===Terrible Lie (Sympathetic Mix)===
'''''Running Time: 4:26'''''
Present on the ''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 its 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)===
'''''Running Time: 6:11'''''
Present on the ''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 noticeably 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.
==Live==
"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," followed by a repeatedly. A brief sample of the words "will who do you think you forgive me're fooling?" heard clearly often surrounded the song in [http://www.4shared.com/file/101153106/9c4183de/forgiveme_sample_shallowgrave.html this] example 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 bootleg Shallow Gravesample collage). The variation performed on the "[[Wave Goodbye" tour Tour]] is mostly similar to the same as the version introduced in support of "during [[Live: With Teeth", however]]. However, as the live band is now only 4 members, all synth synthesizer parts are absent and replaced with , leaving only loud guitars guitar riffs (this is most noticeable in the chorus, and right before the outro where there is usually a 'hammer-synth' riff countermelody played over the chorus riffprogression). At Due to the end hectic nature of the song, the band has been known 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.
===Aaron North solo tab===
| track= 2
}}
[[Category:NIN Songs]][[Category:Songs With Unused Lyrics]]