Mary Jane's Last Dance Lesson - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Mary Jane's Last Dance, classic riff from Tom Petty. Is it all about marijuana? "One last time to kill the pain"? Tom won't say one way or the other.

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 them Indiana nights

Well she moved down here at the age of 18
She blew the boys away, it was more than they'd seen
I was introduced and we both started groovin'
She said, "I dig you baby but I got to keep movin"
... on . . . keep movin' on

Chorus:
Last dance with Mary Jane
One more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm
Tired of this town again

Solo:

Well I don't know but I've been told
You never slow down, you never grow old
I'm tired of screwing up, I'm tired of goin' down
I'm tired of myself, I'm tired of this town

Oh my my, oh hell yes
Honey put on that party dress
Buy me a drink, sing me a song,
Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long

Chorus:

Solo:

There's pidgeons down on Market Square
She's standin' in her underwear
Lookin' down from a hotel room
Nightfall will be comin' soon
Oh my my, Oh hell yes
You've got to put on that party dress
It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone
I hit the last number, I walked to the road

Chorus:

Category:

Music

Tags:

• guitar
• Tom
• Petty
• Mary
• Jane's
• Last
• Dance

[pedaphelps]

cool lesson thanks

[VGStratGuy]

@pedaphelps

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate that. Cheers

[Stringprodigy]

When you do the double stops at the beginning of the solo, it's much easier and sounds better if you pull the g and b strings down rather than pushing them up.

[VGStratGuy]

@Stringprodigy

I like that, thanks.

[rjchstoner]

Great lesson....Question: When I play this...its just not sounded right and its been suggested that one needs to tune up/down???...to get same quality as Pettys recording??....Your toughts??...thanks in advance....Ron

[VGStratGuy]

@rjchstoner Thanks, you're probably talking about the tone of the guitar. I'm using the humbucker setting on the VG Strat, and then I'm using a Fender Blues Jr., with the Master Volume (or preamp tubes) all the way up, which creates that dirty distortion sound. If your amp doesn't have a master volume, you can always use one of the classic distortion pedals. But the Strat is just so clean you need something to "dirty" up the sound. Thanks again.

[tabbott1]

The chorus ends on a "G" chord not an "A-minor". Revisit the song, listen and try it with the "G". The A-minor is the first chord of the verse. Not meaning anything derrogatory but if you want to play it correctly you need to go to a "G" chord at the end of the chorus. The progression for the chorus is Em-AMaj-Em-AMaj-GMaj. Its very brief after the last word in the chorus "Again" Otherwise the chorus and verse would have no seperation. That ending "G" chord is very important. Otherwise, Nice!

[petergrffn700]

I play it in 453 Hz tuning and it sounds just like the track, and this tuning is perfect for Free Fallin' as well!

[lostnsantarosa]

I swear it sounds better if instead of a G after the A minor you just play it open. I have been playing this song all night and G doesnt sound like the tommy petty recording

[dv1073]

@edithis1 he's got it right. The key is Am. Verses= Am,G,D,Am; chorus is Em,A,Em,A,G (that's how we play it)

[JDoubleOP]

Very clear thx m8

[cretin11]

@tabbott1

This is correct, it's G not Am.

[cretin11]

This is correct, it's G not Am.