Stephen Colbert is not dead, he's deathless. After 9 truthy years and 1,447 episodes, America's favorite fake conservative pundit—played by a truly smart writer, comedian and satirist—rode off into eternity on the wings of a song Thursday night, vowing to return when America needs him most.

Stephen Colbert closed out his final Colbert Report the way he began it 9 years ago, with his greatest recurring segment, "The Word," and the valuable concept of truthiness.