If All Goes Well

If All Goes Well
Was it logical lusting after fame
When ambition had never ended well for us?
(Now everything that you lost is surely coming to you)
Every catastrophe has shaped me into something new
(Just don’t get carried away making those same mistakes)
I know my limit but I’ll push it
(Yeah) I’ll push it good

I’ll give’ em a hold and a break to breathe
(Never forget who picks you up when you fall)
And if they can’t play nice I won’t play with ’em at all
I’ll give them a kick when I learn to lead
(You’re getting over your head once again)
And if they don’t get out, then I’ll just bury them all

I swear my motive can still remain sincere
And I can remedy all who’ve wronged before me
(Now everyone that you lost would come back crying to you)
Abandoned memories of family trees I’ve buried too deep
(Just don’t get carried away making those same mistakes)
I know my limit but I’ll push it
(Yeah) I’ll push it good

I’ll give ’em a hold and a break to breathe
(Never forget who picks you up when you fall)
And if they can’t play nice I won’t play with ’em at all
I’ll give them a kick when I learn to lead
(You’re getting over your head once again)
And if they don’t get out, then I’ll just pity them all

Will you carry us to Eden; someone to believe in
Breaking down the walls which kept us locked away
Lead us into brilliance, born by your resilience
Love us all in spite of what we’ll do to you

(I knew that I did this for a reason)
(I knew that I did this for a reason)

Will you carry us to Eden; someone to believe in
Breaking down the walls which kept us locked away
Will you lead us into brilliance, born by your resilience
Love us all in spite of what we’ll do to you

🌲🌲🌲

What happens?
With victory in his grasp, Hunter considers how he will reform the City as Mayor. Though his reason tells him he may be making a mistake, he ultimately feels he has made the right choice by pursuing this seat, proud to be able to protect the innocent. Hunter becomes the Mayor of the City.

What’s in a name?
‘If All Goes Well’ — not entirely sure of the specific significance of the phrase, but basically Hunter’s sentiment towards this whole Mayor business. If all goes well, this is the solution to everything.

Whose viewpoint?
Hunter.

🌲🌲🌲

>0:00 – 0:16 Instrumental
Just really like this. Moved by that hint of caution at the end of King of Swords, Hunter has a moment to consider how he’s approached this mayoral campaign.

>Was it logical lusting after fame / When ambition had never ended well for us?
So I’m not sure on the timeline on when exactly Hunter becomes Mayor — if it’s at the end of King of Swords, or at the end of If All Goes Well. That being said, with how IAGW is Hunter talking about his plans for what he’ll do as Mayor, I do think there’s still a slight pause after KoS before he actually does get the seat. So as I see it right now he’s in an escrow position — he’s basically won, but there’s still potential for things to go south at the very last moment.

Anyway, with the polls rolling in, Hunter’s reason or conscience speaks up with some sensible misgivings. So far, Hunter’s track record when he’s tried to take big actions in his life (leaving the Lake, shacking up with Ms Leading, going to war, trying to learn Ms Terri’s secrets) has ended with him getting massively screwed. Is it possible that he’s letting himself fall into that kind of pattern again, unrestrained and drunk on the success and fame he’s garnered along this campaign?

Note that this is Hunter confessing that the thrill of the fame and of winning has become its own incentive at some point, or at least came to drive his momentum.

>(Now everything that you lost is surely coming to you)
Those concerns are quickly… not dismissed, but discounted. Hunter’s ambition has blinded him, making him see this campaign as the solution to everything in his life. From the position of Mayor, he’ll get everything he ever wanted and things will finally be purposeful and secure.

‘Everything you thought you had, you lost’, obvs.

>Every catastrophe has shaped me into something new
Love this line. Following the same idea as the previous lines; all the experiences Hunter’s had have shaped him into what could be called dramatically different people. You have Hunter the lover, Hunter the soldier, Hunter the thief, so on and so on. Now he’s going to be Hunter the Mayor, which stands to be a much more glamorous and ideally resilient identity than any of the ones he stupidly bumbled into being as Hunter.

Can also be a general comment on how much Hunter has changed over the years.

>(Just don’t get carried away making those same mistakes)
Hunter’s voice of reason advises him just to be careful, if this is what he’s going to do. He does have a habit of going overboard and impulsively doing things that undermine his position — the last thing he needs is for that to happen again when the position he’s been slavering over and working so hard for is firstly, so public and influential, and secondly, so good and finally in his control.

I like how the voices have flipped here — initially it was the ‘temptation’ voice in the background, now it’s the ‘reason’ voice in the background as Hunter’s ambition takes over.

>I know my limit but I’ll push it / (Yeah) I’ll push it good
Hunter recognises he does have those self-defeating habits and patterns but screw that, he’s here to WIN! He’s come this far, he’s gonna see this course to the end!

>I’ll give’ em a hold and a break to breathe
Hunter considering his strategy of reforming the City once he’s formally in power. Mostly, considering what he’s going to do with all the old, established figureheads who have had a part in the City’s continued corruption — he’s probably been fighting against some of these already in the mayoral election. He envisions that as he transitions into the office, he’ll give them a grace period where he isn’t yet bullying them as he himself is busy settling in.

Note how aggressive, strategic, and warlike Hunter’s approach to this all has become — thinking in advance how he’s going to pressure and undo these people. I imagine this is similar to the attitude he took, or is still taking in the final stretch, towards his opponents in the mayoral election, very calculated and manipulative in how he positions himself. Also suggests he regards himself as unambiguously more powerful than the competition, and very much in the position to pressure them as he would. Wonder if he got some tips on this kind of thing from the Priest (pulling people in and out of stress states, smothering them (’faster, save me, I can’t breathe’) is TP&P’s forte), if he’s dipping into shadier means, or if he’s just figured it out on his own as he’s naturally become more manipulative.

Lots of egomania. Quite power thirsty.

>(Never forget who picks you up when you fall)
Could see this as pointing to TP&P being there to right Hunter when he does mess up, or helping him with his schemes in pressuring the opposition. Like, hey, Hunter, you’re talking big game, but you’re not so omnipotent that you got here without a few scrapes.

Could also see it as being Hunter having a very devious approach to this ‘break to breathe’ — that he is calculatedly going to put pressure on people, lay off, and then make them indebted to them by showing them friendship or kindness now that they’re in a weaker position.

>And if they can’t play nice I won’t play with ’em at all
If established officials don’t go along with Hunter’s new regime, don’t indebt themselves to him when he ‘picks them up’, or don’t accede when Hunter is angling for them to take a particular move, then Hunter will abandon them, discard them, or run them into the dirt without a second thought. He won’t be tolerating anyone who shows a hint of corruption and will probably fire a lot of old blood.

>I’ll give them a kick when I learn to lead
Hunter will jostle these old competitors and get them playing by his tune once he is the Mayor. I figure he’s going up against some pretty established figures who have been influential in the City for years — given how corrupt the City is, these figures are also likely corrupt, hence Hunter’s total lack of remorse about bullying them into doing what he wants.

>(You’re getting over your head once again)
The voice of reason speaks up to tell Hunter that these ideas of dominating all these would-be politicians and influential figures is way too much. His ego has inflated massively over this whole affair.

>And if they don’t get out, then I’ll just bury them all
And if the competition don’t bend to his tune, he’ll run them out of town or destroy them, maybe to the point of actually literally murdering them. He doesn’t want anyone from these old regimes contesting him or holding any influence for them to misuse. Though this is a pretty megalomanical thing to be saying even as a metaphor, if he is being serious about killing these people then hey woah Hunter rein yourself in a bit.

Like I’d want to put it as being past him but also it’s not like he hasn’t killed people for questionable reasons before.

>I swear my motive can still remain sincere / And I can remedy all who’ve wronged before me
So, Hunter has sworn he’s going to win this seat of Mayor even if it means being aggressive and using absolute scum tactics, pressure, manipulation, perhaps even murder… Hunter, you sound kind of evil?

No no no, Hunter insists. He’s not going to turn into a tyrant, and he’s not going to lose sight of why he’s doing this. He seriously does want to get this evil and corruption out of the City, and even if his methods wind up being questionable, the ends justify them a hundred times over. The chain of corruption in the City stretches far back; still, Hunter’s sure he can fix it.

>(Now everyone that you lost would come back crying to you)
Not sure on this one (who has he lost who could come back? Ms Leading? She’s one person. Ms Terri? Maybe…), but basic vibe is like ‘all the people who didn’t believe in you are going to have egg on their face!’. I think Hunter’s aggression during his mayoral campaign did make him a few enemies, but he’s figuring that once he’s proved his sincerity and power in cleaning up the City, they’ll come running back to him, eager to be on his side again.

>Abandoned memories of family trees I’ve buried too deep
‘The roots that ripped had run too deep’. Probably pointing to how the root drive for him going on this warpath is veneration for people like Ms Terri?

>Chorus Repetition
This one sounds more like it’s focused on what Hunter plans to do to corrupt officials rather than any plans towards enemy mayoral candidates; calmer, he is sure of his win.

>2:12 – 2:25 Instrumental
Hunter has won the mayoral election. He steps up to the podium to look upon his constituents for the first time.

>Will you carry us to Eden; someone to believe in / Breaking down the walls which kept us locked away / Lead us into brilliance, born by your resilience
The crowd of civilians look up to Hunter, seeking guidance and hope. They are also feel stuck, lost, and hemmed in by the corruption of the City and truly believe in Hunter’s promises to remove malicious actors and generally make the City a safer, better place. They deify Hunter, seeing him as stronger and greater than them, placing their faith for absolution and escape from sin in him.

>Love us all in spite of what we’ll do to you
Foreshadowing that these civilians will eventually form a mob and riot against Hunter; verse overall is framing Hunter as a Christlike deliverer and martyr figure, which is what the crowd is seeking.

>(I knew that I did this for a reason)
‘I knew I kept this for a reason’. Upon seeing this crowd of innocent constituents seeking his guidance, Hunter feels venerated in his run for Mayor, despite his aggression and questionable behaviours in getting here. He finally feels like he has a good purpose to his life — these are the exact people he wants to save and protect from the corruption of the City and evil figures as TP&P, feeling indebted/protective/duty-bound to them.

Get the image of Hunter waving at the crowd, shaking their hands, walking through aisles and so on after his inauguration speech. Hunter’s own tenor/voice prominent in these lines; he’s aware of what the masses desire and fine with adhering to their pleas — he hears them and agrees that this is what he must do.

>4:09 – 4:37 Instrumental
Hunter is happy with how things have turned out and his new position as Mayor, whereby he can protect the City, but there is still one concern in his mind…

King Of Swords (Reversed) | Act IV | The Line