End Of The Line Extended Wilbury Twist Traveling Wilburys

End Of The Line and Wilbury Twist
by The Traveling WilburysShow more

sounds like "will bury". Willfully burying...

The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup made up of Jeff Lynne (ELO), Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. This song contains the folksy wisdom that comes from their experiences. It has a railroad theme, as the "end of the line" represents the train's last stop. Fittingly, it was the last song on their debut album, Volume One.

The song is credited to all five group members, but George Harrison came up with the idea, including the main chord sequence - it certainly bears resemblance to his Beatles and solo output. Harrison takes the first verse, followed by Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison. Tom Petty gets the lead on the chorus.

Nine of the 10 songs on the Volume One album, including "End Of The Line," were recorded in a 10-day span when the group had to write and record almost a song a day. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics let them use his Los Angeles house and attached studio for these sessions, which were extremely productive and a lot of fun.

The song they didn't record there is "Handle With Care," which they made about a month earlier at Bob Dylan's home studio for George Harrison to release as a B-side. That song was so good, and the experience so pleasant, that they decided to form a band. "Handle With Care" was the first single, with "End Of The Line" released next. Both songs got a lot of airplay on a variety of formats and helped the album sell over 3 million copies in America.

"End Of The Line" became a eulogy of sorts for Roy Orbison, who died on December 6, 1988, just six weeks after the album was released. His work in the Traveling Wilburys brought him back to the fore after many years of obscurity. Orbison was one of the biggest stars of the '60s, but his '70s albums had little impact, and by the '80s he was struggling to fill small theaters. Before his death, he completed a comeback album with his fellow Wilburys called Mystery Girl, which was released on January 31, 1989, just as "End Of The Line" was climbing the charts. The album did very well, selling over a million copies in America and a lot more worldwide. The single "You Got It" landed at #9 in the US in April 1989, giving him his first Top 10 hit since "(Oh) Pretty Woman" in 1964.

The music video was directed by Willy Smax, who had previously worked with George Harrison on his "Got My Mind Set On You" video. It takes place, fittingly, on a train where the band is performing in a boxcar. Roy Orbison died before the video was made, so when his verse comes we see his photo and his guitar on a rocking chair.

It was kind of amazing that Harrison, Petty, Lynne and Dylan were able to get together for a music video months after the album was released. They were all busy with other projects but really enjoyed each other's company, so when the album exceeded expectations, they made time to make another video. The drummer on the train is Jim Keltner, the stalwart session player they used on the album. He's credited as "Buster Sidebury."

‘Wilbury Twist’ is the final song on Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3.

It has been in the family a long time. A great uncle, Chubby Wilbury, used to sing the ‘Wilbury Twist’.
Tom Petty BBC Radio 1, 25 October 1990

I think it actually originated with the Saint Vitus dance back in medieval times. It even shows the footsteps.
George Harrison
BBC Radio 1, 25 October 1990

‘Wilbury Twist’ was the second single released from Vol. 3, on 25 March 1991. The CD single contained the additional songs ‘New Blue Moon’ (Instrumental) and ‘Cool Dry Place’.

The single was a commercial flop. It failed to chart in the UK and USA, and scraped to number 86 on Canada’s singles chart. In Australia it peaked at number 137.

The video for ‘Wilbury Twist’ was shot at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.

It featured cameo appearances from stars including Eric Idle, John Candy, CHeech Marin, Woody Harrelson, Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Nail, Fred Savage, Ben Savage, Kala Savage, Thomas Guzman-Sanchez, and Milli Vanilli.

End Of The Line
The Traveling Wilburys
[Chorus 1: George Harrison]
Well it's all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it's all right, if you live the life you please
Well it's all right, doing the best you can
Well it's all right, as long as you lend a hand

[Verse 1: Tom Petty]
You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring
Waiting for someone to tell you everything
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring
Maybe a diamond ring

[Chorus 2: Jeff Lynne]
Well it's all right, even if they say you're wrong
Well it's all right, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well it's all right, as long as you got somewhere to lay
Well it's all right, everyday is Judgement Day

[Verse 2: Tom Petty]
Maybe somewhere down the road away
You'll think of me, and wonder where I am these days
Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays
Purple haze

[Chorus 3: Roy Orbison]
Well it's all right, even when push comes to shove
Well it's all right, if you got someone to love
Well it's all right, everything'll work out fine
Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line

[Verse 3: Tom Petty]
Don't have to be ashamed of the car I drive
I'm just glad to be here, happy to be alive
It don't matter if you're by my side
I'm satisfied

[Chorus 4: George Harrison]
Well it's all right, even if you're old and grey
Well it's all right, you still got something to say

[Jeff Lynne]
Well it's all right, remember to live and let live
Well it's all right, the best you can do is forgive
Well it's all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it's all right, if you live the life you please

[George Harrison]
Well it's all right, even if the sun don't shine
Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line

Wilbury Twist
The Traveling Wilburys

You put your hand on your head
(Hand on your head)
Put your foot in the air
(Foot in the air)

Then you hop around the room
(Hop around the room)
In your underwear
(In your underwear)

You ain't ever been nothin' quite like this
Come on, baby, it's the Wilbury Twist

Lift your other foot up
(Other foot up)
Fall on your ass
(Fall on your ass)

Get back up
(Get back up)
Put your teeth in a glass
(Teeth in a glass)

Ain't ever been nothin' quite like this
It's a magical thing called the Wilbury Twist

Everybody's trying to do the Wilbury Twist
China, Belgium, France, Japan
Thailand, Poland, Pakistan
Everybody's trying to do the Wilbury Twist

Roll up your rug
(Roll up your rug)
Dust your broom
(Dust your broom)

Ball the jack
(Ball the jack)
Howl at the moon
(At the moon)

Ain't ever been nothin' quite like this
Everybody's talking †bout the Wilbury Twist

Everybody's trying to do the Wilbury Twist
Puerto Rico, USA
England, Cameroon, Norway
Everybody's trying to do the Wilbury Twist

Turn your lights down low
(Your lights down low)
Put your blindfold on
(Your blindfold on)

You'll never know
(You'll never know)
When your friends have gone
(When your friends have gone)

It could be years before you're missed
Everybody's trying to do the Wilbury Twist

It's a different dance
(It's a different dance)
For you all to do
(For you all to do)

Spin your body
(Very versatile)
Like a screw
(Spin your body like a screw)

Better not forget it on your shopping list
You can stop and buy one, it's the Wilbury Twist
Ain't never been nothing quite like this
Better come and get it, it's the Wilbury Twist

I guess by now you've got the gist
Everybody's crazy about the Wilbury Twist