Inmates Quotes in The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Fat Ass: You don't understand! I'm not supposed to be here!

Inmates: Me neither! They run this place like a fucking prison!

Heywood: Hey, Fat Ass. Fat Ass! Talk to me boy! I know you're there I can hear you breathin'. Don't you listen to these nitwits you hear me? This place ain't so bad. Tell you what, I'll introduce you around, make you feel right at home. I know a couple of big old bull queers that'd just love to make you're acquaintance. Especially that big, white, mushy butt of yours.

Fat Ass: God! I don't belong here! I want to go home!

Inmates: We have a winner!

Heywood: And it's Fat Ass by a nose!

Red: [after lights out and the guards walk out of the main area]

[Narrating]

Red: I remember my first night, seems like a long time ago.

Prisoner: Yoo-hoo. Big fish. Fish, fish, fish, fishie?

[the others start talking quietly, trying to taunt the newcomers]

Another Prisoner: Poke your ass out here! Give me a first look!

Another Prisoner: Shhh. Keep it down.

Red: [Narrating] The boys always go fishing with first-timers, and they don't stop until they reel one in.

Heywood: [Quietly] Hey, fat ass. Fat ass. Talk to me boy.

[Cut to a shot of him quietly sobbing]

Heywood: I know you're there. I can hear you breathing. Now, don't you listen to these nit-wits, ya hear me? This place ain't so bad. Tell you what. I'll introduce you around. Make you feel right at home. I know a couple of big bull queers that would just love to make your acquaintance, especially that big white mushy butt of yours.

Fat Ass: [Cracks] God! I don't belong here!

Inmates: We have a winner! It's the fat guy!

Fat Ass: I wanna go home!

Heywood: [Announcing] And it's fat ass by a nose!

[Starts the chant]

Heywood: Fresh fish! Fresh fish!

Inmates: [Chant and clap] Fresh fish! Fresh fish! Fresh fish!

Fat Ass: [Comes up to the bars] I don't belong here! I wanna go home! I want my momma!

Prisoner: I had your mother! She wasn't that great!

Captain Hadley: [Storms in with his guys] What the Christ is this happy horse shit?

Another Prisoner: [as everyone quiets down] He took the Lord's name in vain. I'm telling the warden.

Captain Hadley: You'll be telling him about my baton up your ass!

Fat Ass: [as Hadley comes up to his cell] You gotta let me out! You gotta!

Captain Hadley: What is your major malfunction, you fat barrel of monkey spunk?

Fat Ass: Please! I ain't supposed to be here! Not me!

Captain Hadley: [Not one ounce of sympathy] I ain't going to count to three! I'm not even going to count to one! You will shut the FUCK up, or I'll sing you a lullaby!

Heywood: [Under his breath] Shut up, man. Shut up.

Fat Ass: [Crying and pleading] Please! There's been a mistake! You don't understand! I'm not supposed to be here!

Captain Hadley: [to his men] Open that cell!

Prisoner: Me neither! You people run this place like a fuckin prison!

Captain Hadley: [Once his cell door is open, he drags him out and beats him severely in the torso and head with his baton, then knocks him out with one last kick to his head]

[to the rest of the inmates]

Captain Hadley: If I hear so much as a mouse fart in here the rest of the night, I swear by God and sonny Jesus you will all visit the infirmary! Every last motherfucker in here!

[Quietly to his men]

Captain Hadley: Call the trustees to take that tub of shit down to the infirmary.

Inmates: [singing] You gotta get up, you gotta get up, you're in the army now!

Hames Hamilton 'Jimmy' Haskell: Johnny plays the bugle, he knows the calls from A to Z. But he's always at his best when blowing reveille.

Inmates: So Johnny blows and blows...

Hames Hamilton 'Jimmy' Haskell: He toot-a-lee-toots you into your clothes.

Inmates: And makes you rue the day that you were born. There's nothing any one can do. The captain has to make it too! So you gotta get up, you gotta get up!