What does Tell Me a Lie mean?

One Direction: Tell Me a Lie Meaning

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Album cover for Tell Me a Lie album cover

Song Released: 2012


Tell Me a Lie Lyrics

Can't ever get it right
No matter how hard I try
And I've tried
Well, I put up a good fight
But your words cut like knives
And I'm tired

As you break my heart again this time
Tell me I'm a screwed up mess
That I never listen...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Apr 7th 2012 !⃝

    this is a really sad song. I agree to everything that has been said about this song. Maybe the guy is really sad coz his girlfriend is about to leave him. that explains the line "spare me what you think and tell me a lie." Zayn has most of the solos in this song by the way, He's amaZAYN <3

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 2nd 2013 !⃝

    The boy is fighting for his girl who wants to leave him for another and he thinks that somehow he can never do the right thing. He is tired of getting his heart broken over and over again by her. He is begging her that if she is leaving him at least tell him its his fault and blame him, insult him, anything, but not break his heart even more and tell him there is someone else in her life. So he is telling her to lie to him. And as she leaves him, he is reminding her to never forget that he was the person that made him happy once. This song shows that people don't always want to hear the truth, some actually prefer a lie than the hurtful reality.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 7th 2012 !⃝

    To me this song means that this relationship has been real hard on him but he still loves the girl.But, the girl is in love with someone else. "spare me what your thinking , tell me a lie." He doesn't want her to say that she is in love with someone else because it would hurt him so much. instead to tell him a lie , another reason she is leaving him , than saying she has feelings for someone else. really sad song :/

  4. anonymous
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    Apr 2nd 2020 !⃝

    I see this song like this: The boy(AKA 1D) loves the girl so much. The girl has an ex boyfriend and she falls back in love with her old boyfriend and her old boyfriend never wanted her to leave. Then the girl cancels out on her current boyfriend when they have a date that night and breaks up with him and he thinks she might run of with her exboyfriend so he says to her that if she is running of to cheat on him with her ex that she needs to tell him a lie and that he messed up instead of falling in love with her ex agian!

  5. anonymous
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    Sep 5th 2013 !⃝

    Kelly Clarkson never fails to impress with her lyrics.
    Personally I don't really consider myself as a One Direction fan, but this is hands down my favourite song by them.
    I even added it as a soundtrack to my 2011/2012 Harry Potter fan fiction book.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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    May 1st 2013 !⃝

    The girl cheats on the guy with another man and she's leaving her boyfriend for that man so when her boyfriend finds out he asks her that since she's breaking his heart he wants her to do it nicely and lie to him even if she told him he's a screwd up miss but he doesn't want her to tell him that she loves another

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
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    Apr 4th 2013 !⃝

    Tell him anything but that you are leaving him for another guy, even if its a lie.

  8. anonymous
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    Feb 20th 2013 !⃝

    I absolutely love this song. To me it is a song about how sometimes people don't want to hear the truth. The boy knows his girlfriend is in love with another guy, but he doesn't want to believe it because he loves her so much. He would rather she lied and insulted him than say that she wants to be with someone else.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 7th 2013 !⃝

    The girl is cheating. Maybe with an ex.The guys really tries to please her with all of his heart. She doesn't appreciate it and is still breaking his heart repeatedly. Now she is leaving him again and he says if she is leaving to go back with "him" just tell him a lie like he is a mess or doesn't listen. Anything except that she loves "him" instead.


    I just made this up and it might sound like someone else's because these lyrics are easy to understand. But i didn't take this from any one else.

  10. anonymous
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    Nov 15th 2012 !⃝

    i love this song. there is also taken, i wish and more than this they are sad and great and really can make you cry

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 18th 2012 !⃝

    I think this is not totally a sad song shown by the beat of the song. The story here is that the girl loves another man and maybe thats the reason why the girl and boy is fighting. Due to the fight, the girl decided to go with her man. The boy insisted not to, because he really love her, instead, the boy wants the girl to lie and walk away like nothing is between them. Thumbs up!

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 15th 2012 !⃝

    he love a girl an shewont some outher guy so he dont wont to know why she broke up with hem so tell hema lie he dont think he can get it wright whith girls

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 16th 2012 !⃝

    tell me im a screwed up mess
    that i never listen
    tell me you dont want my kiss
    if he's the reason your leaving
    spare me the thinking
    tell me a lie

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 9th 2012 !⃝

    This is a sad song. :( What I got from it was that the girl is leaving the boy for another guy and he would rather have her tell him anything else but that she is leaving him for someone else. he is telling her that since you are breaking my heart again, do it kindly. Dont tell me that you are leaving me because someone else can give you something that i cant. He doesnt care if she puts him down or says its because of something he does, as long as its not because someone else can love her better.

  15. anonymous
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    May 28th 2012 !⃝

    It's about a couple who fight a lot, but the boy really loves the girl and doesn't want her to leave, even though she loves another man-hence the lyrics, "If he's the reason your leaving me tonight, spare me what you thinking, tell me a lie."

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 29th 2012 !⃝

    Quite sad. This is a boy who is so blinded by love he wishes she would lie that she loves him just so he can still be with her, not the boy she is running off with.


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