The Downtown Fiction is a power pop band from Fairfax, V.A., formed in the … Read Full Bio ↴The Downtown Fiction is a power pop band from Fairfax, V.A., formed in the summer of 2008 by Cameron Leahy (guitar/vocals) and Eric Jones (drums). The two posted three demos on the band’s MySpace profile and quickly built a following and added David Pavluk (bass/background vocals) to the line up. After a year of touring, The Downtown Fiction announced their signing with Photo Finish / Atlantic Records. The band performed on the 2010 Bamboozle Roadshow and the 2010 Warped Tour and was recently featured in the “100 Bands You Need To Know” issue of Alternative Press Magazine.

The Downtown Fiction released a self-titled EP in March 2009, which included the hits “Living Proof” and “Is Anybody Out There?”. Followed up by an EP titled “Best I Never Had” in March. In August, the music video for “I Just Wanna Run” was released and in December, they released a new EP “The Double E.P.”, including all tracks from the two other EPs and a new demo, “Keep On Moving”. Songfacts reports that their first album Let's Be Animals was released on April 26, 2011, via Photo Finish / Atlantic Records, "Thanks for Nothing" was the first single.

Tell Me A Lie
The Downtown Fiction Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My head is tangled up in knots,
Another heart you left to rot.
Could you tell me all, could you tell me,
Tell me you don't want me anymore
You left your letter by the phone
That read your never coming home
Could you lead me on, could you lead me,
Leave me lying just stay on the phone

Those things you won't concede,
They keep me on my knees.
And now I start to buckle at the seams.

Could you tell me a lie, lie
'Cause I don't want to hear those words tonight, tonight.
'Cause I can't take the truth.
Baby give it a try, I've seen it a thousand times
I know those lips can lie,
Can you tell me a lie, lie
'Cause I can't take, I can't take the truth
From you, from you

I watched our castle turned to dust,
Just one more girl that I can't trust

Those things you won't confess,
No need to second guess
You broke my back and now there's nothing left.

Could you tell me a lie, lie
'Cause I don't want to hear those words tonight, tonight.
'Cause I can't take the truth.
Baby give it a try, I've seen it a thousand times
I know those lips can lie,
Can you tell me a lie, lie
'Cause I can't take, I can't take the truth

Could you tell me a lie, lie
'Cause I can't take it, I
Could you tell me a lie, lie
'Cause I can't take the truth.
Baby give it a try, I've seen it a thousand times
I know those lips can lie,
Can you tell me a lie, lie

'Cause I can't take, I can't take the truth
From you

Overall Meaning

In The Downtown Fiction's song Tell Me A Lie, the singer is confronting his ex-lover who has left him heartbroken. He is overwhelmed by the emotions and memories of their failed relationship that he can't think straight. The song focuses on the feelings of betrayal, confusion, and desperation, which are common emotions after a breakup. The chorus reflects the singer's deep desire to hear a comforting lie rather than the harsh truth from his former partner. He is almost pleading with his ex-lover to make him feel better by just telling him something reassuring, even if it's a lie. Overall, the lyrics convey the pain and struggle of moving on after a broken romance.

Line by Line Meaning

My head is tangled up in knots,
I'm feeling overwhelmed and confused.

Another heart you left to rot.
You hurt another person just like you hurt me.

Could you tell me all, could you tell me,
Please be honest with me.

Tell me you don't want me anymore
Admit that you don't love me.

You left your letter by the phone
You broke up with me through a letter.

That read your never coming home
You left me forever.

Could you lead me on, could you lead me,
Pretend you still have feelings for me.

Leave me lying just stay on the phone
Don't hang up on me even if you're lying.

Those things you won't concede,
You refuse to admit your faults.

They keep me on my knees.
Your actions make me feel powerless.

And now I start to buckle at the seams.
I'm starting to fall apart under the weight of this situation.

Could you tell me a lie, lie
Please spare my feelings and deceive me.

'Cause I don't want to hear those words tonight, tonight.
I'm not ready to face the truth yet.

'Cause I can't take the truth.
The reality of the situation is too painful.

Baby give it a try, I've seen it a thousand times
I know you're capable of lying to protect me.

I know those lips can lie,
You've lied to me before.

Can you tell me a lie, lie
Please make this situation easier on me.

'Cause I can't take, I can't take the truth
I'm not prepared to accept what really happened.

I watched our castle turned to dust,
Our once-strong relationship crumbled.

Just one more girl that I can't trust
You've made me lose faith in relationships.

Those things you won't confess,
You're keeping secrets from me.

No need to second guess
I know you're hiding something.

You broke my back and now there's nothing left.
You hurt me to the point of emotional exhaustion.

'Cause I can't take it, I
The thought of facing the truth is too much for me.

From you, from you
You're the one I need to hear this from.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CAMERON LEAHY, CATT GRAVITT, STACY JONES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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