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

Last Dance with Mary Jane by John Goode