How to Play Last Dance with Mary Jane Chord by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers on Guitar
“Last Dance with Mary Jane” is a classic rock song by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, released in 1993 as the lead single from their Greatest Hits album. The song features a catchy riff, a harmonica solo, and lyrics about a woman who is leaving town. In this article, we will show you how to play the song on guitar using chords, tabs, and strumming patterns.
Chords
The song is in the key of A minor and uses four basic chords: Am, G, D, and Em. You can also add some variations to these chords, such as Am7, Dsus2, and Em7, to make the sound more interesting. Here are the chord diagrams for each chord:
[Intro] Am G Dsus2 Am (x4) [Verse] Am G She grew up in an Indiana town Dsus2 Am Had a good-lookin' mama who never was around Am G But she grew up tall and she grew up right Dsus2 Am With them Indiana boys on them Indiana nights Am G Dsus2 Am (x2) w/harmonica [Verse 2] Am G Well she moved down here at the age of eighteen Dsus2 Am She blew the boys away, was more than they'd seen Am G I was introduced and we both started groovin' Dsus2 Am She said, "I dig you baby but I got to keep movin'" Am G Dsus2 Am ...on, keep movin' on Am G Dsus2 Am [Chorus] Em7 Last dance with Mary Jane Em7 A One more time to kill the pain Em7 I feel summer creepin' in and I'm Em7 A G Tired of this town again Am G Dsus2 Am (x2) w/harmonica [Verse 3] Am G Well I don't know, but I've been told Dsus2 Am You never slow down, you never grow old Am G I'm tired of screwing up, I'm tired of going down Dsus2 Am Tired of myself, tired of this town Am G Oh my my, oh hell yes Dsus2 Am Honey put on that party dress Am G Buy me a drink, sing me a song, Dsus2 Am Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long [Chorus] Em7 Last dance with Mary Jane Em7 A One more time to kill the pain Em7 I feel summer creepin' in and I'm Em7 A G Tired of this town again [Solo] Am G Dsus2 Am (x4) [Verse 4] Am G There's pigeons down on Market Square Dsus2 Am She's standin' in her underwear Am G Lookin' down from a hotel room Dsus2 Am Nightfall will be comin' soon Am G Oh my my, oh hell yes Dsus2 Am You got to put on that party dress Am G It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone Dsus2 Am I hit my last number and walked to the road [Chorus] Em7 Last dance with Mary Jane Em7 A One more time to kill the pain Em7 I feel summer creepin' in and I'm Em7 A G Tired of this town again Am G Dsus2 Am (Play over and over till out, with solo guitar and harmonica)
Tabs
The intro and verse of the song are based on a simple riff that alternates between Am and G chords. The riff is played four times at the beginning of the song, and then twice between each verse. Here is the tab for the riff:
e|—————–|—————–| B|—————–|—————–| G|—————–|—————–| D|—–2-0———|—–0———–| A|-0-3—–3-0—–|-0-2—2-0——-| E|————-3-0-|———3-0—–|
Am G Am G
You can also add some hammer-ons and pull-offs to the riff to make it more expressive. For example:
e|—————–|—————–| B|—————–|—————–| G|—————–|—————–| D|—–2h0———|—–0———–| A|-0h3—–3p0—–|-0h2—2p0——-| E|————-3p0-|———3p0—–|
Am G Am G
The chorus of the song uses Em, A, and G chords. You can strum each chord once per beat, or use a pattern like down-down-up-up-down-up. Here is the tab for the chorus:
e|-0—0—3—|-0—0—3—|-0—0—3—|-0—5—3—| B|-0—2—3—|-0—2—3—|-0—2—3—|-0—5—3—| G|-0—2—4—|-0—2—4—|-0—2—4—|-0—6—4—| D|-2—2—5—|-2—2—5—|-2—2—5—|-2—7—5—| A|-2—0——-|-2———–|-2———–|-2———–| E|-0———–|-0———–|-0———–|-0———–|
Em A G Em A G Em A G Em A G
The solo of the song is played by a harmonica, but you can also play it on guitar using the minor pentatonic scale. Here is one possible way to play the solo:
e|——————————————8b10r8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5–| B|————————————8b10——————————————————————| G|————————–5/7\5—————————————————————————| D|——————–5/7————————————————————————————| A|————–5/7——————————————————————————————| E|–5/8\5—————————————————————————————————-|
e|–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–| B|–13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-| G|————————————————————————————————————–| D|————————————————————————————————————–| A|————————————————————————————————————–| E|————————————————————————————————————–|
e|–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–10b12r10p8–13b15r13p10-| B|–13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-13———-15———-| G|————————————————————————————————————–| D|————————————————————————————————————–| A|————————————————————————————————————–| E|————————————————————————————————————–|
e|–13b15r13p10-13b15r13p10-13b15r13p10-13b15r13p10-13b15r13p10-13b15r13p10-13b15r13p10-13b15r13p10-15b17r15p12-| B|–15———-15———-15———-15———-15———-15———-15———-15———-17———-| G|————————————————————————————————————–| D|————————————————————————————————————–| A|————————————————————————————————————–| E|————————————————————————————————————–|
e|–15b17r15p12-15b17r15p12-15b17r15p12-15b17r15p12-17/20\17\20\17\20\17\20\17\20\17\20\17\20\17\20\17\20\17\20–| B|–17———-17———-17———-17——————————————————————–| G|————————————————————————————————————–| D|————————————————————————————————————–| A|————————————————————————————————————–| E|————————————————————————————————————–|
Strumming
The strumming pattern for the song is fairly simple and consistent throughout. You can use a basic down-down-up-up-down-up pattern for each chord, or add some variations to make it more interesting. Here is an example of how to strum the song:
Am G Am G D D U U D U D D U U D U D D U U D U D D U U D U
Em A G D D U U D U D D U U D U D D U U D U
You can also accent some of the strums to make them louder or softer, or add some palm muting to create a more percussive sound. Experiment with different strumming techniques to find what suits your style and preference.
Conclusion
“Last Dance with Mary Jane” is a great song to learn on guitar, as it uses simple chords, a catchy riff, and a fun solo. You can play along with the original recording, or jam with your friends using the chords and tabs provided in this article. Have fun and enjoy playing this classic rock tune!
