<Tr> <Th> Songwriter (s) </Th> <Td> Tom Waits </Td> </Tr> <P> "Way Down in the Hole" is a song written by the singer - songwriter Tom Waits . It was included on his 1987 album Franks Wild Years, which was later made into a stage production . </P> <P> The song was used as the theme for HBO's The Wire . A different recording was used each season . Versions, in series order, were recorded by The Blind Boys of Alabama, Tom Waits, The Neville Brothers, DoMaJe, and Steve Earle . Season four's version, performed by the Baltimore teenagers Ivan Ashford, Markel Steele, Cameron Brown, Tariq Al - Sabir and Avery Bargasse, was arranged and recorded specifically for the show . An extended version of the Blind Boys of Alabama recording was played over a montage in the series finale . </P>

Who sings the wire theme song season 1