♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,

WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW."

JOINING ME TONIGHT IS A LEGEND WHO HAS WRITTEN OVER 3,000

SONGS, WON TEN GRAMMY AWARDS, AND HAS A NEW BOOK CALLED "DOLLY

PARTON: SONGTELLER."

PLEASE WELCOME THE ONE AND ONLY DOLLY PARTON.

DOLLY, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

>> WELL, THANK YOU!

I HAVE MISSED YOU.

I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> Stephen: I HAVE MISSED YOU TOO, TOO.

THE LAST TIME WE WERE TOGETHER WE SANG AND EVERYTHING.

I WAS ABOUT AS AS NERVOUS AS I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A GUEST BUT

ALSO HAD THE MOST FUN I HAVE EVER HAD WITH A GUEST.

I'M GLAD YOU GAVE ME ANOTHER SHOT.

I THOUGHT I BLEW IT.

>> NO, NO, NO.

I THOUGHT YOU DID A REAL GOOD JOB.

EVERYBODY TALKED ABOUT IT.

THEY STILL TALK ABOUT IT.

WHEN I TOLD THEM I WAS GOING TO BE ON THE SHOW, THEY SAID,

"GREAT, ARE YOU GOING TO SING?" I SAID I DON'T KNOW.

NO TELLING WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.

>> Stephen: YOU HAVE THE NEW BOOK.

IT'S CALLED "SONGTELLER."

WHY NOT SONGWRITER OR STORYTELLER.

WHAT DOES SONGTELLER MEAN TO YOU?

>> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NAMING THE BOOKS I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT

SONGS I HAVE WRITTEN AND I THINK OF MYSELF AS A SONGTELLER,

BECAUSE I WRITE SONGS AND I TELL STORIES IN MY SONGS.

SO THAT JUST POPPED IN MY MIND, SONGTELLER.

I THOUGHT, WELL, THAT'S A GOOD NAME FOR MY COFFEE TABLE BOOK.

IT HAS ABOUT 170-SOME-ODD SONGS OF MINE.

AND I TELL STORIES ABOUT WHY I WROTE THEM, WHAT KIND OF FRAME

OF MIND I WAS IN, WHAT WAS GOING ON IN MY LIFE AT THE TIME,

SHOWED A LOT OF OLD PICTURES THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HADN'T SEEN

FROM MY CHILDHOOD, AND GROWING UP IN THE BUSINESS.

SO I JUST THOUGHT SINCE I TELL STORIES IN MY SONGS, THAT THAT

WOULD BE THE PERFECT TITLE.

>> Stephen: NOW, WHEN DID-- WHEN DID IT-- WHEN DID IT STRIKE

THAT YOU THAT, AS GREAT AS A PERFORMER AS YOU ARE, A PLAYER

AND A SINGER, THAT REALLY, YOUR LOST WAS THE WRITING AND

STORYTELLING AND THAT YOU COULD DO THIS FOR OTHER PEOPLE?

>> WELL, I'VE KNOWN THAT MY WHOLE LIFE.

I LOVE TO SING, AND I CERTAINLY LOVE TO SING THE SONGS I DO

WRITE, AND I LOVE TO PERFORM.

I LOVE MY FANS.

BUT THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT WRITING SONGS.

IT'S JUST KIND OF, LIKE, MY PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T NEED ANYTHING OTHER THAN JUST ME AND WHATEVER

INSTRUMENT I'M USING AT THE TIME.

IT'S MOI QUIET TIME.

I JUST GO INTO THAT LITTLE ZONE, AND I JUST FEEL LIKE I CAN

EXPRESS MYSELF IN WAYS THAT I DON'T NEED A DOCTOR FOR.

I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THERAPY.

I CAN JUST KIND OF SING IT ALL OUT, WRITE IT ALL OUT.

AND I CAN WRITE FOR OTHER PEOPLE, TOO, LIKE YOU SAID,

BECAUSE I SEE THINGS HAPPEN TO OTHER PEOPLE, AND I THINK, THEY

DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPRESS HOW THEY FEEL, SO THEY'RE DEPRESSED

OR THEY'RE SAD.

SO I WRITE SONGS FOR THEM AS WELL.

>> Stephen: NOW, BESIDES WRITING YOUR OWN HITS, I

UNDERSTAND THAT, WAS IT EMMYLOU HARRIS THAT YOU FIRST WROTE A

SONG THAT SOMEONE ELSE RECORDED OF YOURS?

>> WELL, ACTUALLY, THERE'S A STORY ABOUT THAT.

EMMYLOU HAD A NUMBER ONE SONG, A SONG I WROTE "CALL TO DADDY,"

AND IT WAS BACK DURING THE TIME I WAS WORKING-- STILL WORKING

WITH THE PORTER WAGONER SHOW, THE MAN THAT HAD GIVEN ME MY

FIRST BIG BREAK.

>> Stephen: SURE, I USED TO WATCH.

>> A SYNDICATED SHOW.

I HAD RECORDED A WHOLE ALBUM, AND WE WERE THINKING ABOUT

PUTTING "TO DADDY" OUT AS A SINGLE FOR ME.

AND SO EMMYLOU CAME TO THE STUDIO, PORTER WANTED HER TO

COME DOWN AND LISTEN TO WHAT WE WERE DOING.

SO SHE TURNED TO ME AND SAID, "OH, DOLE, YOU HAVE TO LET ME

RECORD 'TO DADDI'" BECAUSE I'M NEEDING A REALLY GOOD SONG."

SHE SAID, "CAN I HAVE THAT ONE?" I SAID,"I THINK WE WERE GOING TO

BE PUTTING THAT OUT AS A SINGLE."

AND PORTER SAID, "YEAH, WE WERE."

AND SHE SAID, "OH, PLEASE, LET ME HAVE THE SONG."

Y SOI GAVE HER THE SONG.

PORTER GOT SO MAD AT ME-- THAT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIGHTS WE

EVER HAD.

THAT'S WHEN I REALLY KNEW FOR SURE THAT I WAS SINCERE AS A

SONGWRITER AND IT MEANT MORE TO ME TO HAVE SOMEONE SING A SONG I

HAD WRITTEN THAN IT WAS FOR ME TO HAVE A RECORD OUT ON THAT

SONG, OR ANY SONG.

>> Stephen: IS IT SORT OF A SPECIAL FEELING, OR DO YOU GET

THIS FEELING EVER WHEN YOU'VE WRITTEN SOMETHING AND YOU THINK

YOU'RE GOING TO RECORD IT-- OR MAYBE YOU HAVE RECORDED IT-- AND

YOU HEAR SOMEBODY ELSE DO A VERSION OF IT, AND YOU GO, "OH,

THEY'VE GOT EVERY PART OF THAT BALL.

THEY HIT THAT IN A WAY I DIDN'T EXPECT AND THEY MADE IT

BEAUTIFUL IN A WAY THAT I DIDN'T-- I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE"?

>> YOU KNOW, WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, AND I'M GLAD YOU ASKED

THAT ONE, BECAUSE THERE'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT.

I'M ALWAYS HAPPY WHEN ANYBODY DOES ANY SONG THAT I'VE WRITTEN,

AND I LOVE HOW DIFFERENT PEOPLE INTERPRET THEM.

BUT WHEN WHITNEY HOUSTON DID "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU," THE SONG

THEY WROTE THAT WAS A SIMPLE, SWEET, LITTLE HEARTFELT SONG,

AND SHE TOOK IT IT AND MADE IT SO BIG AND SO BEAUTIFUL.

WHEN I HEARD THAT, I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT WAS MY SONG.

I THOUGHT, THAT'S MY SONG?

THAT'S MY LITTLE SONG?

BUT THAT'S JUST BECOME LIKE A CLASSIC.

SO THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW PEOPLE CAN TAKE YOUR SONGS AND

MAKE THEM INTO WHATEVER-- IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU ARRANGE THEM

AND PRODUCE THEM AND HOW YOU SING THEM.

>> Stephen: NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR MOM USED TO TEACH YOU

SONGS THAT TELL STORIES.

LIKE OLD-FASHIONED SONGS.

DO YOU REMEMBER ANY OF THE ONES YOUR MOM WOULD SING WITH YOU?

>> I REMEMBER ALL OF THEM.

MOMMA USED TO SING ALL THOSE OLD SONGS BROUGHT OVER FROM THE OLD

WORLD.

MOMMA WAS A GOOD SINGER, TOO, AND SHE WOULD JUST SING A

CAPPELLA ALL THE TIME, AND SO MANY OF THOSE SONGS WERE SAD,

AND AS I SAY, SOME OF THEM JUST PLUMB PITIFUL.

BUT I REMEMBER MANY SONGS.

THERE WAS A SONG SHE USED TO SING "BURY ME BENEATH THE

WILLOW."

IT WAS ABOUT A GIRL THAT WAS GOING TO GET MARRIED AND HER

BOYFRIEND LEFT HER AT THE ALTAR, OR WHATEVER.

SO SHE DIED, OF COURSE, KILLED HERSELF I SUPPOSE

♪ 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.

♪ ♪ SO ANYWAY, THERE'S MORE TO IT.

IT WAS ABOUT HER THINKING TODAY WAS OUR WEDDING DAY BUT

♪ WHERE OH, WHERE CAN HE BE?

HE'S GONE TO SEEK HIM ANOTHER BRIDE

♪ HE CARES NO MORE FOR ME ♪ AND HE GOES, ARE YOU CRYING?

♪ 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 ♪ SO I BETTER HUSH BEFORE YOU CRY

YOURSELF TO DEATH AND WE CAN'T FINISH THE SHOW.

( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: I'M UNDER A LOT OF

STRESS RIGHT NOW, DOLLY.

AND-- >> I KNOW YOU'RE NOT REALLY

CRYING.

>> Stephen: I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT THERE.

THAT WAS PRETTY BEAUTIFUL.

>> WE USED TO CRY WHEN MOMMA WOULD SING THAT.

MOMMA WOULD CRY.

WE'D CRY.

AND THOSE OLD SONGS WERE JUST AMAZING, THOUGH.

>> Stephen: ISN'T IT FUNNY THAT SOMETIMES THERE'S NOTHING

HAPPIER THAN A CRY?

ISN'T THAT-- ISN'T THAT-- >> I THINK IT CLEANSES YOUR

SOUL.

I THINK THE WATER IS GOOD TO WASH IT OUT.

IT'S WHAT TEARS ARE FOR, I THINK.

>> Stephen: I'M SURE A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK YOU WHAT YOUR FIRST

LYRICS WERE, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHAT ARE YOUR LATEST

LIRIBS?

WHAT ARE YOU WRITING NOW.

>> I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO WRITE A WHOLE LOT LATELY BECAUSE

WE'VE BEEN REALLY DOING A LOT OF PROMOTION.

I HAD WRITTEN DOWN EYE DON'T KNOW IF IT MEANT I WAS SINGING

IT TO THE WORLD OR A PERSON, I HAD AN IDEA COME TO MIND LIKE

♪ I LOVE YOU, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

♪ AND I'M GOING TO LOVE YOU TILL I DECIDE TO STOP

♪ YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO YOU CAN'T MAKE ME LOVE YOU

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ♪ I CAN SING THAT TO YOU

♪ I LOVE YOU ♪ AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME.

>> Stephen: I'M NOT GOING TO TRY.

I PROMISE YOU THAT.

>> OKAY.

>> Stephen: YOU'VE BEEN MARRIED-- LET ME GET IT RIGHT

HERE-- YOU'VE BEEN MARRIED TO THIS MAN-- THERE YOU GO.

>> OH, YEAH!