What is "My Rival" by Steely Dan about?

My interpretation of this is that of a father watching his daughter's courtship and marriage to a jewish man. At first, he is suspicious and jelous and then resolves to make the new addition to the family welcome yet not abandon his affection for the daughter.
Ok, so there you have it.

The wind driving in the face is that it is obvious and he cant deny it.
1) Prickley pear (sarcasim/satire). A prickly pear (a cactus) is something sour, thorny and sinister, and concidering on the fact that it’s also a phallic symbol, (the rival) it provokes revulsion and disgust, reinforcing, once again, the idea of weakness. also symbolic of satire. (wiki)...The relationship between the rival & his daughter is "in his face at this point". Also ties in with the hearing aid {small penis}. As if to say "that twirp kid is not good enough for my daughter."
2) It is the classic milk man "doing a man's wife" while he is at work. Except in this case, it is his daughter. Possibly while he was busy making a living to support his family, the rival (milk man) made his move.
3) He followed the couple as they courted. He watched as they grew close. The "sombody" that screamed is himself, he just doesnt want to admit it, he either cant belive his little girl is grown up. He was upset because his little girl was growing up and she would no longer give to him her full admiration and attention.
3) The detectives on his case may refer to either a delusional fantasy in his mind that he is still in controll and can even dispatch others to monitor and report his daughters activities back to him, or his friends/neighbors/other family have told him what is going on lately. On the other hand, just like the line "somebody screamed" and the somebody was actualy him, the "detectives" are likewise himself.
4) The filming is possibly in his own mind: re-living what he has witnessed over and over in his head. Charades is a game in which the active player does not speak and only makes motions and gestures, possibly his daughter didnt tell him about the relationship and courtship at first. Also it is possible that he wasn't invited to the wedding- he just showed up uninvited.
5) Considering the effects of physical scarring on people, a scar can be symbol of physical or emotional pain that's been overcome. Across his face means that it is obvious that the rival is not in denial .. unlike the father with his "somebody's scream.
OR it is easy to see the hardships or failed previous romances that the rival has had in the past.
* * the hearing aid was explained by Donald Fagan in an interview:
(look it up on the web)
Host: what was the deal with hearing aid in my rival?
Fagan: because small withered penis does not rhyme with charade." (ha ha)
**
The notion that nobody is good enough for "daddy's girl" is pretty obvious here.
6)holding the tiny hand in mine.. he remembers when his daughter was born and he held her as a baby.
7) Jewish tradition of stomping on a glass wrapped in cloth symbolizes among other things, destroying a glass during an otherwise happy ceremony also symbolizes the mix of joy and sorrow in life.
It is stomping time means that the father is reminiscing the daughters youth but now it is time that she is getting married. Possibly this is taking place moments before the ceremony.
8) Jolly roger is a pirate (thief) that stole is daughter's heart.
9) Rivalry usualy is ongoing, so as to say, he is not giving up. He still wants his daughter's love even though she is married now. He will compete continually for her attention with the husband as they interact as a family. Whim for whim could refer to the whimsical things that young people or newlyweds do. It could be that he is not in touch with the fact that he is indeed an old man or that he wants to re live the romance of his youth vicariously through the rival

This song is about a man who hired a private investigator to follow his wife. He has found out that she is cheating on him with a guy who has a scar and wears a hearing aid. Sure he's a jolly roger - until he answers for his crime. This means that the man thinks he's getting away with cheating with his wife - but not for long because he's tracked them down and now it's time to kick butt. Yes! I'll match him whim for whim now, meaning that he'll match each punch the other guy throws...and so on and so forth. it's basically an early version of the show Cheaters.

It does sound as if he is tracking down the guy who took his girl.


The lyrics:

"The wind was driving in my face
The smell of prickly pear
[My rival - show me my rival]
The milk truck eased into my space
Somebody screamed somewhere
I struck a match against the door
Of Anthony's Bar and Grill
I was the whining stranger
A fool in love
With time to kill

I've got detectives on his case
They filmed the whole charade
[My rival - show me my rival]
He's got a scar across his face
He wears a hearing aid

Sure he's a jolly roger
Until he answers for his crime
Yes I'll match him whim for whim now

I still recall when I first held
Your tiny hand in mine
[My rival - show me my rival]
I loved you more than I can tell
But now it's stomping time

Sure he's a jolly roger
Until he answers for his crime
Yes I'll match him whim for whim now "