I told a lie, I told a great big fucking lie
made you come over to drive him home that night
while we were getting drunk and he was getting high
and I lied and said I loved you while I touched her thighs
and it wasn't true, baby, it was far from true
when you went out of town, and I said that I missed you
I am so ashamed, what an awful thing to do
but as soon as you were gone, I made my move
and I know someday you'll find out what went down
can't keep a secret in this town
sooner or later word gets around around around
I let you go, yeah I know I let you go
and it was because I just couldn't let you know
all of those flings that my bedroom mirror showed
so I told you it was nothing personal.
and I know someday youll find out what went down
can't keep a secret in this town
sooner or later word gets around around around
around around around
around


Lyrics submitted by imsoooadragon

I Told A Lie song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

3 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    most amazing song ever. i'm guessing he cheated on his gf, because he didn't wanna hurt her but regrets it. i like this song so much since you never hear a song from the cheaters point of view. amazing song, full of guilt, regret and maybe even pain.

    thalauron October 31, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    …He obviously told a great big fucking lie. I love how it’s from a different point of view than what you usually get. He cheated on his girlfriend, and lied about it and keeps lying. But he feels guilty and knows that she’ll find out eventually. So he breaks up with her, because he feels too guilty.

    misschallison May 05, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Album version of the song is just a little from the beginning of these lyrics, I think just the first 4 lines

    irthesteveon January 16, 2010   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.