Watch as Dolly Parton’s singing moves Stephen Colbert to tears on ‘The Late Show’

Dolly Parton’s vocals were enough to make a grown man cry Tuesday on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Promoting her new book, “Songteller,” the country music icon mentioned a song her mother used to sing to her and her siblings. Parton then sang a few verses of the song, titled “Bury Me Beneath the Willow.”

Colbert was shown telling someone off screen he had goosebumps. Moments later, he removed his glasses and was wiping away tears with a tissue.

“I better hush before you cry yourself to death and you can’t finish the show,” Parton said as she interrupted herself singing.

Colbert responded, “Like a lot of Americans, I’m under a lot of stress right now, Dolly. You got my tripwire right there, I’ll tell you right there. That was pretty beautiful.”

Parton said she and her siblings often cried when their mother sang the song to them.

The song, also referred to as “Bury me Under the Weeping Willow,” dates back to at least 1906, according to a music blog.

“In a nutshell, it’s a sad song about a desperate girl who wants to die and be buried under a weeping willow tree so that her former fiancé, who cheated on her and is now with someone else, will perhaps weep for her under the tree.” the Grass Clippings blog states.

Parton’s new book will be released next month. According to an Amazon listing, the book is written by Parton, who explores “the songs that have defined her journey.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 8:40 AM with the headline "Watch as Dolly Parton’s singing moves Stephen Colbert to tears on ‘The Late Show’."