I think the song is about a young woman who has been through tough times and was hitchhiking to escape whatever bad situation she was leaving. She gets picked up by an older guy in a Cadillac who sees a vulnerable young woman and decides to take advantage of her. She’s not going down without a fight, and ends up either killing the guy, or injures him to the point where she can get away. She calls her mother-in-law to help her out, knowing she will come rescue her because they’ve already been in trouble together in Vegas. Were they...

I think the song is about a young woman who has been through tough times and was hitchhiking to escape whatever bad situation she was leaving. She gets picked up by an older guy in a Cadillac who sees a vulnerable young woman and decides to take advantage of her. She’s not going down without a fight, and ends up either killing the guy, or injures him to the point where she can get away. She calls her mother-in-law to help her out, knowing she will come rescue her because they’ve already been in trouble together in Vegas. Were they both in abusive marriages? Did they both get away from their abusers? That would mean her ex, the MIL’s son was a bad dude, as was his father. To me, the shoutouts to the bandleaders and Sammy Davis are just Tom’s homage to musicians who were swinging cats. The reference to Sonny Liston is telling. Famously beaten by Cassius Clay in Miami in 1964, but continued boxing (swinging) until his death in 1970. I suspect a similar fate for the girl in the song.

A night out at the dance club, and there comes the point where you make that so-called connection with someone else. And despite the alcohol, flashy lights, loud music and the smoky haze, you tell yourself there is indeed a connection and all these thoughts and temptations run through your mind. From the male's perspective, he's trying to inconspicuously make his way to his chosen female. Success: She's responding, and after she's decided that her male is acceptable, he keeps making his move. It's a struggle because "the whole place is on a mission," where the goal is pure sex,...

A night out at the dance club, and there comes the point where you make that so-called connection with someone else. And despite the alcohol, flashy lights, loud music and the smoky haze, you tell yourself there is indeed a connection and all these thoughts and temptations run through your mind. From the male's perspective, he's trying to inconspicuously make his way to his chosen female. Success: She's responding, and after she's decided that her male is acceptable, he keeps making his move. It's a struggle because "the whole place is on a mission," where the goal is pure sex, but he's getting closer at achieving his goal. He just has to pretend for the sake of his female. However, he encounters a bump on the road....His girl is drifting away, maybe to another man on a similar mission? Yes...

Then it hits him. They're all playing a game in that disco, and the chances of him winning are slim. Why can't he ever win? Losing is his constant nightmare that he just can't seem to wish away. As he's left on his own in the dark, crowded club, his early delusions of a connection have come full circle; the jigsaw pieces of his mind have fallen into place: He never had a chance.