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"Terrible Lie" is the second track on the 1989 release Pretty Hate Machine and begins directly at the end of "Head Like A Hole" (the end of the latter providing a segue into the beginning of the former). 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.
"Terrible Lie" is often the opening song of Nine Inch Nails shows following an introduction, which may be "Now I'm Nothing" (Lollapalooza '91, 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 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 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 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 the "DVD" version of Closure. During the Live: With Teeth tours, Aaron North plays a short solo during the last few moments of the song.
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