Tom Petty: Mary Jane's Last Dance Meaning

Song Released: 1993

Mary Jane's Last Dance Lyrics

She grew up in an indiana town
Had a good lookin momma who never was around
But she grew up tall and she grew up right
With them indiana boys on an indiana night

Well she moved down here at the age of 18
She blew the boys away, it was more...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   May 19th 2008 !⃝

   No, I really think it's deeper than a girl who doesn't wanna get close.
   
   The girl, Mary Jane, has grew up all her life in a safe little town in Indiana. When she was 18 she moved to where ever the song takes place && meets a guy. He's sorta a bad boy that grew up on the wrong side of toen. She tells the guy she likes him but doesn't wanna be tied down. She says she doesn't like him && after this will never see him again, hence the last dance with Mary Jane part. She ends up falling for him anyway.
   
   In the second verse, he's telling her she needs to try new things. So he takes her to parties && she drinks && has fun. He soon gets her hooked on drugs, maybe pot, who knows. She swears it's her last time, but she just can't stop.
   
   In the third verse the guy waked up in a hotel room to find that she's jumped of the balcony. She hated herslef && what had happened so much, she thought suicide was the only answer.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Apr 17th 2007 !⃝

   The song has nothing to do with smoking pot, Tom said so himself. It's about a girl that the guy meets and he tries to get close to her and she doesn't wanna be close to anyone and she leaves town and tries to find herself.
3. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Mar 9th 2022 !⃝

   ( I watched the music video lmao)
   
   TW: Overdose
   
   
   This song is about someones girlfriend who overdoses on drugs, (hence the mary jane in the title) and he takes her back to his house, and dances with her for the final time.
   ig you watch the music video on youtube you will get it)
4. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   May 24th 2021 !⃝

   i definitley feel like this songs about weed theres no way its not i feel like the mention of a girl is just a metaphor for his use of marijauna i really feel like people are digging really hard at this. he has no choice but to quit marijauna so he refers to it as " Mary Janes last dance".
5. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Sep 9th 2019 !⃝

   It's a song about his marriage dying, his wifes was named jane. They got a divorce about 1 yr after the song. That's my opinion. Interpret the song how ever you want to.
6. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Aug 9th 2019 !⃝

   I thought it might be about Carol Sue Hill who was a back-up singer on the pack up the Plantation tour from Indianapolis who was a beautiful girl from Indiana and about a new relationship.
7. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Oct 8th 2017 !⃝

   Planning to smoke pot just one more time before trying to quit.
8. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Mar 23rd 2017 !⃝

   Tom Petty was told by his doctor quit smoking pot or it's going to kill you.
9. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Dec 31st 2014 !⃝

   Young woman taken advantage for her looks back home growing up, tired of it all, moves away. Wrong path, wrong choices, wrong relationship's, last dance overdose, death!
10. funnyman91

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    May 14th 2008 !⃝

    You're both right in a way. I spent days cracking this song finally found out the producer for last dance with mary jane is the same producer for dani california by red hot chili peppers. He said it could be a goodbye love song or a song about pot. This song just like life is whatever you want it to be.
11. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Jul 2nd 2006 !⃝

    This song is about someone that is smoking pot for the last time.

Latest Articles

• 
  A new era for Millennial favorite, Linkin Park
• 
  Anime to watch for the soundtracks… and other reasons you’re undateable
• 
  Dolly, we need you
• 
  The Stranger Things Effect: How new media is drawing Gen Z and Alpha's attention to aging media
• 
  The most underrated soundtrack of the early 2000s
• 
  Buy the Soundtrack, Skip the Movie: Brainscan (1994)