TOM PETTY LAST DANCE WITH MARY JANE PLUS

He wasn't going to let the small town kill him too. It's like, she was the only good thing that ever happened to him in that town, trying to keep her there killed her. Smokes a bowl for the road and heads out (hit my last number), hoping to find a better life than she did. He wakes up alone - finds out what's happened, and is just numb, not surprised (too cold to cry when I woke up alone). He passes out in their hotel room, but she's overcome with the hopelessness of her life - and goes out the window and jumps ('night fall' will be coming soon) - falls to her death in the square below.

TOM PETTY LAST DANCE WITH MARY JANE PLUS

They're both trying to numb their pain - her shitty life, his shitty life PLUS the knowledge he's losing her. The chorus 'last dance with Mary jane' is a literal last dance with her, and a figurative one more bowl of weed. The verse 'i don't know, but I been told' is Mary Jane talking - she's realizing that no matter where she goes, she can't escape her past - she doesn't want to be tied down to one place because it all comes creeping back - but she's tired of running, too. She knew she wouldn't be staying long, but our Hero was smitten with her, and she kind of liked him too, and they started hanging out together (groovin') - and she stayed longer than she expected.

She pulled into our Hero's town - another small town, not unlike the one she left behind. When she was 18, she left her podunk town and hit the road, looking for something better. With no parental guidance, she became prey to the 'Indiana boys', so she learned to be tough and take care of herself (she grew up tall and she grew up right). The girl, Mary Jane, is a girl who grew up in a similar small town in Indiana with a waste case of a mother who pretty much left her to her own. He's singing point of view of a guy in a small town, going nowhere. Whatever Tom Petty meant by it, I've always interpreted it a bit like this. I haven't read all 100+ posts here, but my take on the song is that 'Mary Jane' refers to the girl and to the smoke. I hit the last number, I walked to the road It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long I'm tired of screwing up, tired of goin' down I feel summer creepin' in and I'm tired of this town again She said, 'I dig you, baby, but I got to keep movin' on, keep movin' on' I was introduced and we both started groovin'

She blew the boys away, it was more than they'd seen Well, she moved down here at the age of eighteen With them Indiana boys on an Indiana night Had a good lookin' mama who never was aroundīut she grew up tall and she grew up right

Tom petty last dance with mary jane