Lie To Me
Pretenders Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

That's not honest
Nothing you've said
Why don't you tell someone
Who'll believe you instead?
'Cause I got this feeling
Is it what they call déjà vu?
I'm nodding my head, yeah
But I don't believe you

If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...

I don't even care
So there's nothing to defend
It's so long-winded
Like a story without an end
This elaborate yarn
You left behind, like a breadcrumb trail
It's too hard to find the way out
Of your fairytale

If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...
And you say that you're my friend
And you take me to your bed
As somebody else instead
And I wonder where you've been
And the other one began
If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...

Don't take me there, oh, please, I do thee implore
Spare me the details
The entrails and the gore
I can see there's a point
You want to drag me in
To impress me and depress me
With your web of sin

If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...
If you lie to me again...




If you lie to me again...
If you...

Overall Meaning

The Pretenders’ song Lie to Me is a lyrically confrontational piece that deals with a theme of dishonesty. In it, lead singer Chrissie Hynde sings about the frustration of being lied to, challenging the person lying to her to tell someone else instead. She expresses a feeling of déjà vu which suggests that the lies have become repetitive, and she is tired of hearing them. She goes on to describe the lies as long-winded stories without an end, leaving a breadcrumb trail that is too difficult to follow out of their deceitful fairytale. The song takes on a darker tone as Hynde sings in desperation, pleading to be spared the details of the lies and the sin they are caught up in.


The song's lyrics display a caustic and suspicious view of relationships, potentially suggesting that the singer (Hynde) has been lied to so many times that she is struggling with trust issues. The message of the song is clear: if the subject of the song continues to lie, the singer will no longer tolerate it.


Line by Line Meaning

That's not honest
You are not being truthful


Nothing you've said
None of your statements are true


Why don't you tell someone Who'll believe you instead?
Why not share your lies with someone who will trust and accept them?


'Cause I got this feeling Is it what they call déjà vu?
I have a sense of having experienced this before; is this what déjà vu means?


I'm nodding my head, yeah But I don't believe you
I am nodding in agreement, but I know deep down that you are not telling the truth


If you lie to me again...
If you deceive me once more...


I don't even care So there's nothing to defend
I am not invested enough to bother arguing or defending myself


It's so long-winded Like a story without an end
Your lies are tiresome and drag on endlessly


This elaborate yarn You left behind, like a breadcrumb trail
You have woven an intricate web of lies that I can trace back, like following breadcrumbs


It's too hard to find the way out Of your fairytale
It is difficult to find a way out of your fabricated story


And you say that you're my friend And you take me to your bed As somebody else instead And I wonder where you've been And the other one began
You claim to be my friend, yet you deceive me in an intimate way by pretending to be someone else; I wonder who else you have done this with


Don't take me there, oh, please, I do thee implore Spare me the details The entrails and the gore
Please, do not lead me down this path; spare me the unpleasant and disturbing details of your lies


I can see there's a point You want to drag me in To impress me and depress me With your web of sin
I can tell that you are trying to lure me into your deceitful world, to both amaze and depress me with your tangled lies




Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHRISTINE HYNDE, ADAM SEYMOUR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions