The Dolly Parton Performance That Brought Stephen Colbert to Tears Hits Even Harder Today

Dolly Parton knew how to tug at the heart strings. Following the country icon’s death, countless videos from her storied life and career began circulating online.

One such clip came from a virtual 2020 interview with Stephen Colbert, where Parton made the host weep.

“Mama used to sing all those old songs brought over from the old world,” Parton recalled in the clip. “Mama was a good singer too. She would just sing a cappella all the time. So many of those songs were sad, and, as I say, some of them were just plum pitiful.”

“But I remember many songs. There was a song she used to sing called ‘Bury Me Beneath the Willow,’” she continued. “It was about a girl who was going to get married, and her boyfriend left her at the altar or whatever, so she died, of course. She killed herself, I suppose.”

With that, Parton began singing the tragic tune, “Bury me beneath the willow / Under the weeping willow tree / Where he may know where I am sleeping / And perhaps he’ll weep for me.”

Stephen Colbert Cries During Dolly Parton Interview

As Parton finished the line, the camera cut back to Colbert, and showed him laughing and pointing in awe.

Parton continued on without comment, stating, “Anyway, there’s more to it, but it’s about her thinking it’s her wedding day, ‘But where oh where can he be / He’s gone to seek him another bride / He cares no more for me.’”

Colbert responded to Parton’s continued singing by wiping away a tear, but the singer didn’t miss a beat.

“And then it goes—aw, are you crying?” she questioned, before once again returning to the song. “Oh, bury me beneath the willow / Under the weeping willow tree / Where he may know where I am sleeping / And perhaps he’ll weep for me.‘”

The tears didn’t stop for Colbert, and Parton finally decided to have mercy on him, joking, “I better hush before you cry yourself to death and can’t finish the show.”

The country music icon died on Aug. 25 after a brief battle with cancer, her rep confirmed to People. She was 80.

Photo by Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images

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