The Meaning Behind Mary Janes Last Dance By Tom Petty

May 2024 · 5 minute read

Tom Petty was one of those musicians that always seemed to be revered but seemingly never got the accolades he deserved. Nevertheless, he had album and single success for over five decades and sold over 80 million records. 

Table of Contents

He led his own band from 1976, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, who recorded songs like “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” And he had some great collaborations, such as the one with Stevie Nicks on “Stop Draggin My Heart Around.

He had a solo period and teamed up with like-minded individuals to form the Travelling Wilburys. They also produced some impressive material like the track “The End Of The Line.” We are going to take a look at just one song from his time with The Heartbreakers. Let’s see if we can’t understand the meaning behind “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty.

The Meaning Behind “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” By Tom Petty

The Song

Originally, this was a song that was written while Petty was working on his album, Wildflowers, which was released in 1994. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” was included in his 1993 Greatest Hits album. It was released as a single and reached #14 in America, his first Top 20 track of the 1990s.

In The Strangest Places

People write their songs in the strangest of places. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” was written in the garage of his guitarist Mike Campbell. The basic idea for the song had been around in his mind for a while before it was finally completed.

A lot of songwriters choose random phrases to represent the hook of a song while it is being written. Sometimes, even before it has a title, this is one such song, and Petty used the phrase “Indiana Girl” while it was being finished. Even though the final title and chorus were finished shortly after, the “Indiana Girl” references still stayed in the song.

Does Mary Jane Exist?

Does Mary Jane Exist

This is one of those songs where the writer has never undertaken a full explanation as to the meaning of the lyrics. Because of that, people have tried to interpret the meaning of the songs. Casting aside the more preposterous suggestions, there are two potential meanings to “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” to choose from.

Tom’s Marriage To Jane

The first meaning that has been offered relates to his marriage to his ex-wife Jane Benyo. Tom and Jane had both grown up in Gainesville, Florida, and had been teenage sweethearts. They married in 1974 and divorced in 1996.

It was Jane who had talked to Stevie Nicks about her and Tom being 17 when they started to get serious. From a misheard conversation came Nick’s song “Edge of Seventeen.

The First Option

At the time of the writing of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” Tom and Jane were having problems. There were angry phone calls between them, and the rest of the band was aware of the situation. If the song is about their relationship, then there are a couple of problems.

The first is that given the song was written at a time when the situation was becoming untenable, they weren’t divorced until three years after the single’s release. That just seems a little too long if it was her the song was written about.

Secondly, Jane was brought up and lived in Gainesville. The lyrics of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” makes mention that she “Moved down here” when she was eighteen. She wouldn’t need to move; she was already there. This first option has got too many holes in it to be a real meaning bend “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”.

The Second Option

To me, this seems a lot more credible. Mary Jane, as we all know, is slang for marijuana. The song could be using the slang word to describe how he was introduced to the drug but inferring it was a woman.

Petty was known to appreciate marijuana, and so that idea has some credibility. There are other subtle clues as well. Marijuana is used in some places in a clinical environment to ease the pain. In ordinary people’s lives, they may have spoken about marijuana helping them come through difficult and painful times.

The song is constantly referring to this… 

He talks about having a last dance with Mary Jane. And that one more dance will kill the pain. One more smoke will help him forget whatever it was that was on his mind.

To me, they seem like obvious references. But, some would argue for a talented songwriter like Petty, they are too obvious. Maybe with this song, he didn’t want to be over cryptic. Marijuana, remember, was still an illegal drug and criminalized in a lot of American states at the time. Maybe he buried the word in symbolistic expression deliberately. 

Curious About the Meaning Behind Other Famous Songs?

If so, check out our thoughts on the Meaning Behind “Edge of Seventeen” Song By Stevie NicksThe Meaning Behind “House of the Rising Sun” by The AnimalsThe Meaning Behind “When Doves Cry” by PrinceThe Meaning Behind “Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Meaning Behind “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins for more insights and analysis.

The Meaning Behind “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” By Tom Petty – Final Thought

Whatever the real meaning of Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” is, we may never really know. The meaning seems pretty clear, though. So, perhaps we should just sit back and enjoy the music.

Until next time, happy listening.

ncG1vNJzZminnJnBqrnEpqysoZNjsLC5jq2fnmWdmq6vtc2gZJudmJ67pXnMmqmyZZqWu6a%2FjKWYrKxdma6vr8RmmbJlpKS6brzErauyZw%3D%3D