(Pre 5-12-98)
"There are just some things that don't seem very fair in the world - like this fucking hypocrisy of organized religion. I just don't understand how people can blindly believe a bunch of the shit they're fed, to believe it so that they don't think too hard about other issues. 'Be a good boy and you'll go to heaven'; If it works for you, fine, but it doesn't work for me and that pisses me off because I kind of wish it did.
I just haven't found what the right thing for me is. I definitely believe there's a God. The thought that he might be a kind God that cares about your problems is also a nice thought. But the idea of heaven and hell and what is right and wrong and was Jesus the Son of God? I don't know about all that."

-Trent Reznor (from an interview in Alternative Press [7/90])

(Pre 5-12-98)
"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"
This is an experience that many, if not all, people have at some point in their lives. If there is a God, and if He is a God of love, then why does He hurt his followers so much? And why does He give us thoughts and feelings that are "wrong"? The conclusion here is that God has lied to us (thus the title of the song.) Either He is not a loving God, as has been told to His followers, or He has not correctly told us what is right and wrong and what we are supposed to do to follow Him.
The narrator has been pushed so far and hurt so much that he feels nothing worse can befall him, and therefore he has the courage to ask God for an apology (something that very few people would do).
"hey God, i really don't know what you mean
seems like salvation comes only in my dreams
i feel my hatred grow all the more extreme
hey God, can this world really be as sad as it seems"
This reference is to the Bible and/or the contradictory messages of religious leaders. There is a lot of confusion as to what is and is not right. Christians are divided in many aspects -- women, gays, and abortion are good examples. There are also examples of Christians killing others in the name of God despite the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." These are the reasons for the confusion, and the reasons why the narrator doesn't feel that he's been saved. The thought process goes as follows: "If I'm not doing what God wants me to do, then I can't be saved. I don't know what God wants me to do, and my choices up until now seem to be the wrong choices, since He is causing so much pain in my life." This helps to breed the hatred against God that has already been started, and it is beginning to result in feelings of desperation and pain. The narrator is asking God to give some sort of sign of His existence and/or love.
"don't take it away from me
i need someone to hold on to"
Despite the hatred for God, there is still a need for Him. The narrator does love God -- or, at least, the God that has been presented to him. His original faith was in a loving God. However, his faith is slipping due to the lack of proof of this God and the increasing proof of a hateful God or no God at all. The narrator doesn't want to lose faith -- he wants his God to exist. However, he will not worship a false God or a God of pain.
"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, your promises and lies"
Inner feelings and hopes have been exposed in attempts to evoke some sort of response from God. None of these attempts have proven to be successful. This appears to have broken the narrator. His view has changed from the belief in a loving God to that of a hateful God who plays with humans for his own amusement. Bitterness is clearly seen.
"you made me throw it all away
my morals left to decay
how many you betray
you've taken everything"
An attack on God. The narrator has lost everything that he every thought he had in life in his attempts to please God.
"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"
This is a 180. Up until now, the song has led up to the loss of faith in God. Here, the narrator still desperately wants to believe in his loving God. He doesn't want to lose his God. This is one final plea for forgiveness and mercy. The narrator is admitting to God that he has thoughts and feelings that are immoral (the disease) and he wants to be "saved." He doesn't want to live in a Godless world, or a world of hateful Gods.
"i give you everything
my sweet everything
hey God, i really don't know who i am
in this world of piss"
Once again, the narrator is showing his love for God in hopes that He will respond and make things better. There is also an emphasis on the confusion as to his religious views -- what is right, what is wrong, and what is real.

-Niktah Ambrosia

(Pre 5-12-98)
Let's see...
The esoteric search for a divine being.
The Christians give us God, as all-powerful, all-knowing, good, and loving.
We are asked to believe that an all-knowing loving god allows bad things to happen. No wonder people don't know what to believe.
Basically, this song is about disillusionment.
We've been told something all our lives, and we realize that it isn't true. We cling desperately to the old ways because it is so hard for humans to change, and to accept uncertainty into our lives. It is hard for us to actually wonder IF there is a divine being out there, and if there is, what is it like. We almost NEED the certainty that religion gives us.
When that foundation is kicked out from under us, we are lost. We don't know what is wrong, what is right, if anything we learned is true.
That is what this song is about.

-rhlannon

(Pre 5-12-98)
I think that this song means that religion is very confusing and he believes that the whole "God" thing is getting way out of control. He feels that religion is fake and that the so called "God" needs to apologize for all the things that he believed in.

-Black Olive

(Pre 5-12-98)
This is clearly a song about disillusionment. The narrator desparately needs someone concrete to hold on to for support, any/every kind. The narrator also wants to believe what (he) has been taught, that there is a loving, merciful, kind, understanding, transcendent being. This being is a savior, God(Yaweh). The author at the same time however, greatly fears that he cannot do anything right(moral). He feels the pressure, allure, pain, destruction, and despair of the one who wants him to suffer and is trying to destroy him, Satan. His problem is that he is looking for tangible proof of a loving God's existence and he isn't seeing it. He feels as if he has been told a "terrible lie."

-Groucho

(Pre 5-12-98)
I agree that the lyrics is about god, and I like the interpertation above. I have always taken this song to heart, it is a favorite of mine. I would like to point out that in the song it says

"I lost my ignorance, security and pride."

I always took that as when you lose your ignorance to the situation around you, you learn the sad truth. Ignorance is to be happy, knowledge can bring anger and hurt. What you don't know can't hurt you, so when he discovered what he believes now to be the truth about god, it probably took his security away about whatever afterlife he once believed in. His pride could have been hurt because of losing his beliefs.

-Silver Goddess

(Pre 5-12-98)
I think in the first part of the song he is just very angry, which may have a lot to do with his own confusion or frustrations on god or religion, but then he realizes he needs god because it gives him a feeling of comfort and when he denies or resents god, he loses a part of himself, which is why he is saying he needs him to hold on to, despite the pain he causes him.
When he begins on about "There's nothing left for me to hide...." He is referring back to a past time in his life when he never really thought about god or religion, and his life was closer to perfect, but now that he has actually questioned everything and explored it, the comfort of knowing nothing in a way is gone, his security of innocence is gone because he has given everything to this, and because he is so confused and angry about everything, he feels as though he has lost all self pride.
The "I believed the promises.." part could have something to do with his own misconception that once you chose to follow or believe in god you're life would be perfect, and now that it's not, he feels somewhat betrayed or let down.
He is angry again when he says "You make me throw it all away..." because he feels so disappointed and let down by god that he is in a way blaming him for corrupting his ability to believe and trust anything, in a sense taking everything away from him, and leaving him to decay. He feels his head is filled with disease because it is so cluttered with mixed emotions and beliefs he doesn't know what to think, and he wants to believe in anything, that someone cares, or that it is all going to be all right, but he doesn't know where to turn anymore. He feels as though he has given all of who he is to god, who has turned out to be this terrible lie, and now he is all alone.

-missy

(Pre 5-12-98)
I think that this song is about how everybody believes in god and is taught to be good. Do good you go to heaven. Do bad you go to hell. But the narrator decides from his own personal experience that this is wrong. He decides to tell god what he really thinks. He wants to believe in a god that is nice, but he doesn't know if he can anymore.

-Mariannah

(Pre 5-12-98)
I believe that this song, first of all is a wonderful and enlightening song, second if God is so loving then why does he let all hell break loose in this existence. And I hate all this crap about if you are good and kiss everyone's butt you will go to heaven. I believe that it is just another way to control us.

-Sableone

(Pre 5-12-98)
I think this song is super straight forward about the singer's view of God. Trent himself said he definately believes there is a God. But, he's just not sure about all the other aspects that goes along with God. I think the whole song is a cry out from whoever to God saying, " Hey what's the deal? Why the hell is everything on earth so pathetic and sad? Why do bad things happen to good people, and bad people?" That's what I think. Well, I guess one of the answers is that God lets us make our own choices...it's part of His love. But, as imperfect humans, we don't always make the right choices, and the consequences of our choices are what we learn from...that's why I think He lets bad things happen.
Another thing, is that in one way, the singer's saying..."Why are you letting all this happen?" but then, he also says that he wants God to stay. It seems like the little bit of security he has left is being taken away from him through his absence of faith in God. But he needs that to live, so he asks God not to take it from him. I hope that Trent and whoever else out there gets the answers to all of their questions, I guess sometimes people need to see things before they can believe them.

-shannon

(Pre 5-12-98)
This song is about the pure hypocrasy of religion. The narrator would like to believe in a God, but that is getting impossible since everything he has ever been taught had been a bold faced lie. Because of this lie, his head has been "filled with disease", and he doesn't know where to turn. The narrator is blaming God for lying to him through whatever church he is referring to.

-Shattered Skull

(Pre 5-12-98)
I feel that this song shows depression from the narrator. He has done what you do to go to heaven but is doing no good for him. He feels that god cannot be beleived in because he has let down the narrator. It states that The whole Christian religion lives strictly on beliefs and not reality.

-anonymous

(Pre 5-12-98)
All the above interpretations each find the meaning or, all the meanings, hidden in the lyrics. Personally I feel there are numerous meanings and many have ben uncovered. Sadly we do ont know each and every meaning intended to be established. I believe also we are "looking for the dime behind the nickel," maybe there arn't any hidden meanings; Trent may have simply meant exactally what he stated "Why are you doing this to me?; i think you owe me a great big apology; seems like salvation comes only in our dreams; can this world really be as sad as it seems; i need someone to hold onto; i'm all alone in a world you must despise; my morals left to decay; you've taken everything; my head is filled with disease; i'm on my hands and knees; i want so much to believe; i give you everything; in this world of piss; terrible lie " Again we do not know, perhaps that is why I treasure Nine Inch Nails like I do. Trent has a talent.

-Amber C.O. Gregbob1

(Pre 5-12-98)
This song says hey god let me in heaven without working for it. I think this song is a lazy stupid ass trying to complain about why should I work to get there if you love me so much let me in know. God loves you if you love him. Hell is punishment. Hell isn't a cave with lava and flames. It's you gettin hurt and killed. Hell is now. Hell is falling over and getting cut. Hell is brought apon you by your actions. To tell you dont do that.

-Seth B.

(Pre 5-12-98)
I would like to say that I applaud your insight. On the subject of 'terriable lie', I believe Trent has put in writing the conflict of faith verses life.
Life beats us down, and it comes very strange to believe that faith will save us and reward us for it. This song is saying, 'If God is the answer, here is the question.'

-mr self destruct

(Pre 5-12-98)
I truly believe this song is very paradoxical because of it's double message. First of all, there is confusion between what the narrator has been learned throughout his childhood and has never questioned, like most people. Secondly, growing up has thought him that this world isn't what he thought it was and that God seems less and less believable. From this point he starts questioning his faith and himself which isn't very comfortable, confusing him even more.
I also believe that: Ğdon't take it away from me, I need something/someone to hold on toğ means that he has realized that God could only be an invention to make people feel secure and give a meaning to this absurd existence.

-Green Giant

(Pre 5-12-98)
terrible lie seems to be about jesus talking to god. finding out what kind of person/deity he really is. the thoughts have scared him (jesus) and he is afraid of his feelings. at this point he is angry and confused why this loving god has put such ideas in his head. it also could relate to how he (trent) feels that he is changing and is confused just like jesus probably was.

-Morpheus

(5-12-98)
I really couldn't give an interpretation of terrible lie because Trent wrote the lyrics himself and only he could say what they meant to him, but it think they explain about christianity and how it really is and how it just sucks so much. I've read the bible and the things in it scare me. God according to the bible seems to be evil to me. God would just say how gay people should be killed and how women were just created for men. When I read all this it really infuriated me because I respect women and gay people. Trent's lyrics say how god created us and mistreated us and then Trent says, Hey god I think you owe me a great big apology. I believed your promises, your promises were lies. He says how god would grant us salvation but when we die we would go to hell for any act of heresy or violation of the bible according to what the bible says. I dont believe in god because for one thing he existence has never been proven and the christian people always change their religion around to better suit them. If god is the way the bible says he is, I say he can fuk himself because I wont believe that bulshit.I do believe there is some force that controls life but I believe that it is a good force and not a god that has created us for its own amusment. Trents lyrics basically say he wants to believe some sort of god but not a cruel god that has created us for puppets. As I said before I can't explain the song because Trent wrote them and there in his own meaning and symbolism. Nobody can truly explain it but Trent.

-crypt