- Kid Thomas: You know what a fella said one time? He said, "You know one thing, if I knew that I was gonna live that long, I'd a took care of myself." But, you see, when he realized that: it was too late. He died.
- White Man on St. Patrick's Day: This is one of the only cities in the world where you can do what you're doin' here. Drink beer out in the street. Throw the cans on the sidewalk. It's one of the greatest places in the world. They call it the 'City that Care Forgot'. Its probably the last place in America that you can feel, well, just sort of free to live, you know.
- Prince of Wales Spokesman: The Prince of Wales is a Social and Pleasure Club, a marchin' club, was organized August 13, 1928, in the upper Irish Channel of New Orleans. Where today we are here with The Wild Tchoupitoulas, you understand, as their guests. But, our annual parade is the second Sunday in August, each and every year. There are various Social and Pleasure Clubs throughout New Orleans and each one of them parade on individual Sundays, you know, usually in the Summer months. While we aid, you know, I mean, do a little benefit and things like this. Give to the Sickle Cell Foundation, United Fund, and other things, we pick up money especially for this purpose; but, mainly, our concern is to entertain our ownself. You understand?
- Man dressed in red: You be here today, you're gone tomorrow, you know. You don't know what to look - for after death. But, you always can see what you can see in front of you, you know. But, like me, you know, I like people to have a nice time and when I leave this face of the earth, I like a little band behind me and my friend havin' a nice time seein' me leave this place. But, I'm livin' now - and I'm not gonna wait, you know, till I'm in the ground and be laid out, you know, to have some fun in the streets.
- Allen Toussaint: This is what I know about it - what's done for funerals. To march real slow on the way to the funeral and cut up on the way back. That's how you lay the dead away - with a band. You take 'em on out and you boogie back.
- Irma Thomas: One whole green pepper, at least four or five cloves of garlic, and take three celery stalks, the long ones, and, you know, finely chop it. If you chop it real fine it'll cook all up in there. You won't even know its in there. And your onions. Everything goes in at the same time. And some people say put a bay leaf in it, you know, or add a teaspoon of sugar or somethin' like that. I don't put the sugar in and every now and then I think about the bay leaf. I might throw it in, I might not. It depend on what I'm thinkin' about that day. But, you know, you cook 'em slow. The slower you cook 'em, get them to boiling first, then turn the fire down and cook 'em at medium heat. And you get a gorgeous pot of beans like I had yesterday.
- Franky and Johnny's Owner: A lot of people when they go to eat crawfish, the proper way to do it, is you put it underneath your tongue, with your teeth, you squeeze and pull out and then you suck the heads. But, a lot of people, that would eat crawfish, that's not too familiar with it, they would break it, then have to peel it, and turn it around like that, then squeeze and then pull it out with their fingers. Otherwise, if we was eaten, us, I could eat maybe four to five crawfish to maybe you all one - if a person didn't know how to eat it proper.
- Lead Singer: [singing] I bring my gang all over town, Drink fire water till the sun go down, Get back home we gonna kneel and pray, We had some fun on the holiday
- Cyril Neville, Charles Neville, Art Neville, Aaron Neville, Deacon John Moore: Meet de boys on de battlefront, Meet me boys on de battlefront, Meet me boys on de battlefront, The Wild Tchoupitoulas gonna stomp some rump...
- Henry 'Professor Longhair' Byrd: [singing] Me got fire me can't put out! Heap fire water gonna make me shout! Me goin' down and get my squaw, Me might buy a great big car, Me gonna do everything me could, Me Big Chief, I'm feelin' good...
- Man dressed in red: Some of the black traditions are not bein' brought forward as much as they should, as far as tradition is concerned, you know. This is an environment that support of the people. We wish that we can convey, to every person, you know, a feelin' of tradition.
- Henry 'Professor Longhair' Byrd: [singing] Me whole tribe is havin' fun! We gonna dance 'til mornin' comes
- Deacon John Moore: [singing] I'm a Wild Tchoupitoulas from the 13th Ward, Blood shiffa-hoona, I won't be barred, Walked through fire and I swam through mud, Snatched the feathers from an eagle , Drank panther's blood,
- Deacon John Moore, Cyril Neville, Charles Neville, Art Neville, Aaron Neville: Meet de boys on de battlefront, Meet me boys on de battlefront, Meet me boys on de battlefront, The Wild Tchoupitoulas gonna stomp some rump...
- Black Woman at Mardi Gras: If you wants to be white today, you can be white today.
- Interviewer: What do you want to be today?
- Black Woman at Mardi Gras: White! Today.
- Mardi Gras Participant: We gonna be kooky kinky, you understand.
- Black Woman at Mardi Gras: Superman! Batman! Robin Hood! You can be anything you want to be today; but, now, tomorrow - you got to be a nigger tomorrow. Because that's what you is.