Quotes from the Opening Credits of HBO’s The Wire

HBO’s “The Wire” is one of the most critically acclaimed television shows of all time. This page includes a list of every single quote from the opening credits of one of histories greatest shows.

Actors from The Wire staring tensely into distance from front seat of a car.

Each episode of HBO’s The Wire kicks off with a cryptic yet meaningful message, displayed across the screen after the credits. They may not be funny like The Office, but they stick with you all the same.

Reflect back on the show’s brilliance with every single quote from the opening sequence of The Wire, one of the best shows to binge, listed in order of airdate.

 

Season 1 Opening Credit Quotes

Blue and white caricature drawing of Barksdale and Bell from The Wire.
Image Credit: binarygodcom on Deviant Art.

The Target (S1E1)

“…when it’s not your turn.”

– McNulty

 

The Detail (S1E2)

“You cannot lose if you do not play.”

– Marla Daniels

 

The Buys (S1E3)

“The king stay the king.”

– D’Angelo

 

Old Cases (S1E4)

“It’s a thin line ‘tween heaven and here”

– Bubbles

 

The Pager (S1E5)

“…a little slow, a little late.”

– Avon Barksdale

 

The Wire (S1E6)

“…and all the pieces matter.”

– Freamon

 

One Arrest (S1E7)

A man must have a code.”

– Bunk

 

Lessons (S1E8)

Come at the king, you best not miss.”

– Omar

 

Game Day (S1E9)

Maybe we won.”

– Herc

 

The Cost (S1E10)

And then he dropped the bracelets…”

– Greggs

 

The Hunt (S1E11)

Dope on the damn table.”

– Daniels

 

Cleaning Up (S1E12)

This is me, yo, right here.”

– Wallace

 

Sentencing (S1E13)

“All in the game…”

– Traditional West Baltimore

 

Season 2 Opening Credit Quotes


 

Ebb Tide (S2E1)

“Ain’t never gonna be what it was.”

– Little Big Roy

 

Collateral Damage (S2E2)

“They can chew you up, but they gotta spit you out.”

– McNulty

 

Hot Shots (S2E3)

“What they need is a union.”

– Russell

 

Hard Cases (S2E4)

“If I hear music, I’m gonna dance.”

– Greggs

 

Undertow (S2E5)

“They used to make steel there, no?”

– Vondas

 

All Prologue (S2E6)

“It don’t matter that some fool say he different…”

– D’Angelo

 

Backwash (S2E7)

“Don’t worry kid. You’re still on the clock.”

– Horseface

 

Duck and Cover (S2E8)

“How come they don’t fly away?”

– Ziggy

 

Stray Rounds (S2E9)

“The world is a smaller place now.”

– The Greek

 

Storm Warnings (S2E10)

“It pays to go with the union card every time.”

– Ziggy

 

Bad Dreams (S2E11)

“I need to get clean.”

– Sobotka

 

Port in a Storm (S2E12)

“Business. Always business.”

– The Greek

 

Season 3 Opening Credit Quotes

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Time After Time (S3E1)

“Don’t matter how many times you get burnt, you just keep doin’ the same.”

– Bodie

 

All Due Respect (S3E2)

“There’s never been a paper bag.”

– Colvin

 

Dead Soldiers (S3E3)

The Gods will not save you.”

– Burrell

 

Amsterdam (S3E4)

“Why you gotta go and fuck with the program?”

– Fruit

 

Straight and True (S3E5)

“I had such fucking hopes for us.”

– McNulty

 

Homecoming (S3E6)

“Just a gangster, I suppose.”

– Avon Barksdale

 

Back Burners (S3E7)

“Conscience do cost.”

– Butchie

 

Moral Midgetry (S3E8)

“Crawl, walk, and then run.”

– Clay Davis

 

Slapstick (S3E9)

“…while you’re waiting for moments that never come.”

– Freamon

 

Reformation (S3E10)

“Call it a crisis of leadership.”

– Proposition Joe

 

Middle Ground (S3E11)

“We ain’t gotta dream no more, man.”

– Stringer Bell

 

Mission Accomplished (S3E12)

“We fight on that lie.”

– Slim Charles

 

Season 4 Opening Credit Quotes

via GIPHY

 

Boys of Summer (S4E1)

“Lambs to the slaughter here.”

– Marcia Donnelly

 

Soft Eyes (S4E2)

“I still wake up white in a city that ain’t.”

– Carcetti

 

Home Rooms (S4E3)

“I love the first day, man. Everybody all friendly an’ shit”

– Namond Brice

 

Refugees (S4E4)

“No one wins. One side just loses more slowly.”

– Prez

 

Alliances (S4E5)

“If you with us, you with us.”

– Chris Partlow

 

Margin of Error (S4E6)

“Don’t try this shit at home.”

– Norman Wilson

 

Unto Others (S4E7)

“Aw yeah. That golden rule.”

– Bunk

 

Corner Boys (S4E8)

“We got our thing, but it’s just part of the big thing.”

– Zenobia

 

Know Your Place (S4E9)

“Might as well dump ’em, get another.”

– Proposition Joe

 

Misgivings (S4E10)

“World goin’ one way, people another.”

– Poot

 

A New Day (S4E11)

“You play in dirt, you get dirty”

– McNulty

 

That’s Got His Own (S4E12)

“That all there is to it?”

– Bubbles

 

Final Grades – S4E13

“If animal trapped call 410-844-6286”

– Baltimore, traditional

 

Season 5 Opening Credit Quotes

Yellow and black illustration of cast of The Wire against urban background.
Image Credit: DYIDDO on Deviant Art.

 

More with Less (S5E1)

“The bigger the lie, the more they believe.”

– Bunk

 

Unconfirmed Reports (S5E2)

“This ain’t Aruba, bitch.”

– Bunk

 

Not for Attribution (S5E3)

“They’re dead where it doesn’t count.”

– Fletcher

 

Transitions (S5E4)

“Buyer’s market out there.”

– Templeton

 

React Quotes (S5E5)

“Just ’cause they’re in the street doesn’t mean that they lack opinions.”

– Haynes

 

The Dickensian Aspect (S5E6)

“If you have a problem with this, I understand completely.”

– Freamon

 

Took (S5E7)

“They don’t teach it in law school.”

– Pearlman

 

Clarifications (S5E8)

“A lie ain’t a side of the story, it’s just a lie.”

– Terry Hanning

 

Late Editions (S5E9)

“Deserve got nuthin’ to do with it.”

– Snoop

 

–30– (S5E10)

“The Life of Kings”

– H. L. Mencken

 

 

Every Opening Credit Quote from The Wire in Three Minutes (Video)

This video by Matthew Coffaro includes the video clip of every moment from The Wire where these quotes are spoken or written. It is truly magical to watch if you are a fan of the show. Like some of the best dying quotes, these can hit close to home.

 

 

 

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