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Credits
PERFORMING ARTISTS
2Pac
Vocals
6 Feet Deep
Vocals
COLD 187um
Keyboards
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
2Pac
Songwriter
Kenneth Gamble
Composer
Leon Huff
Composer
Johnny Jackson
Composer
Big Simon Says
Composer
6 Feet Deep
Arranger
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
COLD 187um
Producer
Jaymz Hardy-Martin III
Assistant Engineer
Johnny J.
Producer
Keston Wright
Engineer
Paul Smith
Assistant Engineer
Lyrics
[Intro]
Yeah, ballad of a dead soldier
This is the ballad of a dead soldier
This is the ballad of a dead soldier
Come play the ballad of a dead soldier
[Verse 1]
The plan to take command of the whole family
Though underhanded to be the man, it was planned
All my road dogs, official mob figures
Love to act up, the first to bomb when we rob ****
I can be lost in my own mind
To be the boss, only thoughts grip on chrome 9's
**** get tossed up, war scars, battlefield memories
Swore I saw the Devil in my empty glass of Hennessy
Talkin' to a **** on a tight leash
Screaming, "Fuck the police!", as I ride through the night streets
Little child runnin' wild, towards danger
What's the cause? Don't be alarmed, death to all strangers
Maybe I'm a madman
A pistol grabbing ****, unleash the Sandman
Promise a merciless retaliation, nothing is colder
Close your eyes, hear the ballad of a dead soldier
[Chorus]
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
[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 druglord, haha
The situation's critical
Nothing is colder than hear the ballad of a dead soldier
[Chorus]
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 **** came out, "Boom"!
Who wanna see me in a challenge?
So merciless, I'm terrifyin' **** 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
Busting at my adversaries like a mental patient
To all my **** facing 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, ****
Take a breath, come be the last one left, ****, 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]
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 **** that passed away
Mutulu, Geronimo, Seyku, all the down-ass riders
All the **** that put it down, all the soldiers
All the **** that go through that day-to-day struggle
This is the ballad of a dead soldier!
All the **** that passed on
All the **** with ambition and money in they heart
All the **** that want some and that don't take none
This is the ballad of a dead soldier!
Police are so scared of us
All the feds, they aware of us
They wanna see us dead
They got pictures of a **** head, ballad of a dead soldier!
Tryin' to see me in chains, shit
Them ****'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, ****, huh
Ain't heard the ballad of a dead soldier!
Heh, these **** can't see me, half the world wanna be me
Multi-millionaire, shit, it ain't fair
But, ****, you know it's the ballad of a dead soldier!
Written by: 2Pac, Big Simon Says, Gregory Frenard Hutchison (Cold 187um), Johnny Jackson, Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Rodney Taylor