Watch Stephen Colbert Break Down in Tears During Interview with Dolly Parton: ‘You Got My Tripwire Right There’

The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert broke down in tears on Tuesday night as Dolly Parton gave an impromptu performance of Bury Me Beneath the Willow. 

Parton was on the late-night show to discuss her new book Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, but eventually began to reminisce about her late mother Avie Lee Owens.

Remembering which songs Owens used to sing to her when she was young, Parton brought up Bury Me Beneath the Willow. 

As a special treat for Colbert and his viewers, Parton broke out into song, giving a beautiful rendition of the folk song.

Colbert could not keep his composure and began to tear up as the country legend continued to sing, even telling someone off-camera that he was beginning to get “goosebumps.”

“Oh, you’re crying?” Parton said in between lyrics. “I better hush before you cry yourself to death and we can’t finish the show.”

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

Parton reassured the host by explaining that the song used to make her cry too. “We used to cry when Mama would sing,” she told him. “Mama would cry, we’d cry. Those old songs were just amazing.”

“Isn’t it funny that sometimes there’s nothing happier than a cry?” Colbert asked Parton.

“Yeah, I think that cleanses your soul,” Parton answered. “Water washes it out. That’s what it’s for, I think.”

Watch above, via YouTube.