126. In the Church of the Poison Mind

126. "End of the Line" by the Traveling Wilburys

The most disappointing thing about the record Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is that Jeff Lynne doesn't speak Japanese on it. But you know what you can do to get over that disappointment? Listen to "End of the Line," the last song on the album.

It's one of those rare rock songs that I think is so uplifting that it should be included in the hymnbook, but yet it isn't preachy like the wanna-be rock ditties that you'll find on one of those evangelical radio channels at the low end of spectrum.

This song hit the charts just a few months after I left HondoJoe for a younger woman and got married to Julie. I was young, thin, and happy to be moving into our mansion.

Wake up and do something more than dream of this mansion above.

Yes, life was really good back then. And this song made it even better. The video features a pack of millionaire hobos taking turns singing to each other on a train about how everything is all right. Of course it is! You're millionaire hobos! I'll admit you're very musically talented hobos, but none of you are American's favorite guitar-playing hobo.

Only American's favorite hobo could afford to drive a Mercedes through the Idaho countryside instead of taking the train. These bums are forced to take the train to the end of the line, where they will most likely get into cars that they are not ashamed of (but not proud of either) and drive the rest of the way to their mansions. I'm not sure where those mansions are. From the look of the countryside out the train window, my guess is Kansas.



It is one of the few videos that you will ever find that features a Nobel Laureate singing backup for a ghost--or maybe it was a blue angel?



Well, either way--ghost or angel--it's all right, because you'll find songs about both in the hymnbook. I'm just not sure what ward would allow both Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello to play their guitars during a musical number. As far as I know, guitars are forbidden in church, unless you get 41 more guitar strings and attach them all to the frame of a harp. Then you could probably play whatever you want, including "Purple Haze."