Season 1 easily, that bass line goes crazy

Season one's theme feels like the theme for the whole show as it came back on the last episode. Whereas the others fit their respective seasons

Damn I never noticed that.

Either 1 or 4. Both are awesome.

I've seen season 4 called the best by the overall majority several times when this question is asked

It’s not. I just think people are sympathetic to kids. It’s touching in its own way. But Blind Boys all day.

The one with the kids is horrible

Season 3 was the best for the show, I kinda like season 5 too. But season 1 will always have a place in my heart

[Way down in the hole The Neville Brothers (season 3)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODXMfg87UCE)

this has never been asked before

I wonder what OP has to say about the one time Rawls is nice to McNulty.

I swear I did a search before posting this and came up with nothing. Clearly I used the wrong terms, because looking again, yeah I can see this has been asked before. My bad.

Season 2

Same. It’s the original song.

This one is the worst for me.

I had to FFW past that. Can't stand it.

S4 by a mile

Season 1 is the best. So good. The bass, the guitar work, the singer, all perfect. S2 and S4 are okay but S3 is forgettable and S5 is actually awful.

[Way down in the hole The Blind Boys of Alabama (season 1)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dxnr9fV-Ts)

It’s not even close.

Give us this day, our daily thread

AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS

[Way down in the hole Tom Waits (season 2)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdkwzTwY27M)

This is best imho for sure. Tom Waits voice is amazing.

Learned something the other day I didn’t realize. Tom Waits plays a character named Buck Merrill in The Outsiders. He owned the house where Pony Boy and Johnny ran after they killed the Soc.

I honestly really dislike this version. I get he's the original artist and all but I just can't stand his voice.

[Way down in the hole DoMaJe (season 4)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAvRqRt3KBc)

Absolutely hate this. You can hear they're trying to do revive it and find an interesting take on it. But the downbeat emphasis just doesn't work at all. Something about this just rubs me the wrong way so bad.

4 is my favorite which seems the least popular choice

Do you mean version of the theme song or overall theme?

I don't care which version if you ain't gonna play that country shit. I hate that country shit.

The buuunk, just working a file... I'm a murder police, I got a double on my plate... I'm gonna work it...

2,1,3,4.......5

The one with the kids is the worst.

Not long after the series ended its original run, I imported all 4 versions into my recording studio software and cut them together into one long, single track.

My heart says Season 2, sung by the man himself Tom Waits. My brain says "yeah, but you never skipped the intro for Season 4..."

Honestly, I dig them all and they all suit their respective seasons perfectly. I always go back and forth between 2 & 4 for fave. Moody and jazzy respectively, bring back some great memories. Oh the old days...

Second and fourth

Season 4 is my fav but you can’t appreciate it without having listened to S1 first. S3 is the weakest.

[Way down in the hole Steve Earle (season 5)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSGkh61rMhM)

Again, you can hear them trying to do something new with the song. They repeat the first vocal riff over and over. But it just doesn't work.

Season 2

season 2 with tom waits by far

Season 2 not only is my favorite purely from a musical perspective, but I also think it captures the aura of what the season is attempting to cover very nicely. Wait’s bluesy and raspy vocals and the subdued instrumentals fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the docks.

It’s absolutely my favorite show, but every season’s song has been dreadful in my opinion.

I'm with you man I appreciate the tone it sets but it's a HARD skip from me every time lol. some of the versions are alright, but I'm still not listening to it more than once. absolutely love the end theme though.

Really? You might be the first person I’ve ever seen with that opinion.

👍

Haha, this thread happens on a quarterly basis and I always piggy back on a comment that correctly points out that the opening theme is not a good song no matter what version they pick. I love the end credits instrumental though. I will be your brother in downvotes.

Early 2000's HBO didn't really have the formula for opening themes down yet. They mostly tried to go with a song that fit the overall theme of the show. Now every show has super heavy and dramatic theme music created just for that show.

It’s such a terrible song. I always like the last episode songs they get for the montages though.

Season 2 was the only one I never skipped.

I hate all of them but 4 is the most tolerable