Garth Brooks Got Choked Up During a Rare Performance of This Christmas Song and You Will Too

Megan Stein
·2 min read
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From The Pioneer Woman

Grab the tissues for this one!

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood a.k.a. country music’s cutest couple starred in an amazing holiday special on CBS. The duo performed classic Christmas music like “Silent Night” and “Santa Baby,” which were all so, so good. (Their voices are just wow.) But the standout moment from the program was Garth’s emotional rendition of “Belleau Wood.”

If you’ve heard it before, you know what it’s about: The Battle of Belleau Wood, which took place during World War I. Garth tells a fictional story about soldiers on both sides of the fight putting down their weapons at Christmas, and joining together in song. It'll give you all the goosebumps, and you’re not alone. Trisha and Garth both feel that way, too.

When someone requested “Belleau Wood,” Trisha immediately said, “Good luck buddy, cause this one makes me cry, and I never cry.”

But Garth still took it on—in fact, he even committed more than usual! “We always do an abbreviated version of this,” he said. “I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve played the whole version, but if it’s not too much for you guys I’d like to play the whole song.”

He proceeded to sing the beautiful tune, but, like the rest of us, he couldn’t make it through without getting choked up. He had to stop a few times to gather his composure, and it was really powerful to watch.

"Almost made it, so sorry," he said when he finished. He also called out the lyrics that really spoke to him and his co-writer, Joe Henry. "When you're sitting there going, 'Here's hoping we both live to see us find a better way,'" he said.

His wife responded, "Thank you for singing that, thank you for whoever requested that."

If you want to see this special moment, as well as their full Garth and Trisha Live! A Holiday Concert Event, head on over to CBS where you can stream the whole thing with your TV subscription. (The “Belleau Wood” performance starts at about 13 minutes in.)

Merry Christmas!