Until the End of Time
Ballad of a Dead Soulja
2Pac
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
18
End
181
Internal
110
Multi
254
Slant
5
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse 2]
Completely lost, revenge✦ at all costs
Payback's a bitch, switched, now the trick's crossed
Tossed✦ up and never✦ to be heard of
A single witness screaming, "Bloody✦ murder,✦ murder!"✦
Blast, tell me, homie, what you see now?
A blind man and a dead body,✦ I'm ready✦ to leave town
And get my cash though, hook up with Kastro✦
Homie, had to blast on the task force
Stupid coppers tried to play us out, never✦ that
They took my money✦ and my stash, time to get 'em back, haha✦
Upon✦ my secret✦ arrival✦
Two Glock .45s, time for survival✦
Death to my rivals, tell me, what you want, Lord?
Nobody✦ left after✦ the death of a drug lord, haha✦
The situation's critical
Nothing✦ is colder✦ than hear the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
[Chorus: 6 Feet Deep & 2Pac]
(Thug for Life, I will be)
This is the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
(A life of crime I will lead)
Close your eyes and hear the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
(If you play the game, you play to win)
This is the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
(It's a crazy✦ world full of sin)
Close your eyes and hear the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
[Verse 3]
Be a coward,✦ put your hands to the Moon
When my Glocks rang out, the niggas✦ came out, "Boom!"
Who wanna✦ see me in a challenge?✦
So merciless, I'm terrifying niggas✦ in my ballads
Do you feel me? Capo✦ or Captain
One day I'll be the Don, until then, remain✦ strong
My only✦ fear of death is reincarnation✦
Bustin'✦ at my adversaries like a mental✦ patient
To all my niggas✦ facin'✦ 60 years
Sheddin' tattooed tears, another suicidal on the tier
Takin'✦ private planes,✦ tryna✦ survive the game
For all my homies✦ that'll never✦ be alive✦ again✦
All they promise us is death, nigga✦
Take a breath, come be the last one left, nigga✦
It's real now, feel it or fantasize it, ain't nothing✦ colder✦
Listen,✦ you can hear it the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
[Chorus: 6 Feet Deep & 2Pac]
(Thug for Life, I will be)
This is the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
(A life of crime I will lead)
Close your eyes, hear the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
(If you play the game, you play to win)
This is the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
(It's a crazy✦ world full of sin)
Close your eyes and hear the ballad✦ of a dead soldier✦
[Outro]
This go out to Kato,✦ Mental,✦ all the niggas✦ that passed✦ away✦
Mutulu,✦ Geronimo, Seyku,✦ all the down-ass riders
All the niggas✦ that put it down, all the soldiers
All the niggas✦ that go through that day-to-day struggle
(This is the ballad✦ of a dead soldier!)✦
All the niggas✦ that passed✦ on
All the niggas✦ with ambition✦ and money✦ in they heart
All the niggas✦ that want some and that don't take none
Hahaha✦ (It's the ballad✦ of a dead soldier!)✦
The police✦ are so scared✦ of us
All the feds they aware✦ of us
They wanna✦ see us dead
They got pictures of a nigga✦ head, (Ballad✦ of a dead soldier!)✦
Tryin' to see me in chains, shit
Them niggas'll never✦ breathe again✦
Before✦ they put me in a cell, they'll see me in Hell
('Cause it's the ballad✦ of a dead soldier!)✦
Got my pistols cocked✦
Run the whole motherfuckin' block, fuck the cops!
The police?✦ We run these streets, nigga✦
Huh (Ain't heard the ballad✦ of a dead soldier!)✦
Heh, these niggas✦ can't see me, half the world wanna✦ be me
Multi-millionaire, shit, it ain't fair
But, nigga,✦ you know, it's the ballad✦ of a dead soldier!✦
Technical Breakdown
7.7
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres6.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm6.5
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity7.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.5
Performance and control
Computed Score7.66
Production
— Cold 187um, Johnny JBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
The verse relies on cinematic narrative intensity and rhythmic urgency rather than complex abstract wordplay, utilizing 2Pac's signature aggressive cadence to sell the 'dead soldier' persona.
B+
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
6.5
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
8.5
Delivery
Narrative storytellingMultisyllabic internal rhymingDynamic vocal projectionCinematic scene-settingCall-and-response vocal emphasis
Rhyme Architecture: A dense, high-frequency internal and end-rhyme scheme that emphasizes long vowel sounds (o, a) to drive momentum, transitioning from fast-paced triplets to grounded, authoritative declaration.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"Payback's a bitch, switched, now the trick's crossed"
① The literal act of flipping or double-crossing an enemy who betrayed him.② A play on 'crossed out' (deleted/eliminated) as a consequence of the victim's own actions.
"Nobody left after the death of a drug lord"
① A literal description of the aftermath of a violent encounter.② A rhetorical declaration of status, positioning the speaker as the singular, undisputed power in the narrative space.
High-intensity vocal performance that enhances the narrative
Strong cinematic visual language
Seamless integration of rhyme into the pocket of the beat
Consistent thematic coherence
Wordplay is primarily literal/narrative rather than figurative
Lack of complex subtext beyond the central theme of vengeance