Dolly Parton gets COVID-19 vaccine, rewrites lyrics to her popular song

Dolly Parton on the Today show in 2019. (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

(NEXSTAR) – Musician Dolly Parton received her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday and celebrated the occasion by advocating for others to do the same.

To that end, 75-year-old Parton rewrote some of the lyrics to her beloved song “Jolene.” In a video posted to Twitter, she sings, “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine. I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate. Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine. ‘Cause once you’re dead that’s a bit too late.”

Parton goes on to laugh at herself before turning serious: “I know I’m trying to be funny now but I’m dead serious about the vaccine. I think we all want to get back to normal, whatever that is. And that would be a great shot in the arm, wouldn’t it, if we could get back to that.”

“I just want to say to all you cowards out there, don’t be such a chicken squat, get out there and get your shot,” she said.

Parton goes on to don her mask and receive the vaccine on-camera.

“I’ve been waiting since December, I’ve been in-line,” Parton said.

The shot took about five seconds from start to finish, after which Parton said, “That didn’t hurt, it just stung a little bit, but that was from the alcohol pad, I think.”

Parton had previously said she would wait her turn to get the vaccine.

In an interview with the Associated Press, she said, “I’m not going to get mine until some more people get theirs. I don’t want it to look like I’m jumping the line just because I donated money. I’m very funny about that.”

“When the pandemic first hit, that was my first thought, ‘I need to do something to try to help find a vaccination,'” she told the AP. “I just did some research with the people at Vanderbilt (University) — they’re wonderful people, they’ve been so good through the years to my people in times of illness and all that. I just asked if I could donate a million dollars to the research for a vaccine.

“I get a lot more credit than I deserve I think, but I was just happy to be a part of any and all of that.”