Songfacts®:

• 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. >>>

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  Alan - Singapore, Singapore
• 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."