The Dutchman

About The Dutchman

"The Dutchman" is a song written by Michael Peter Smith in 1968 and popularized by Steve Goodman. At the time Smith wrote the song, he had never visited the Netherlands. The song is about an elderly couple living in Amsterdam, Margaret and the title character. The unnamed Dutchman is senile, and Margaret cares for him with a sadness over what has happened to him over the years. It is a story of unconditional love. One of the most notable and successful versions was recorded by Irish comedian and entertainer Brendan Grace.  more »

Year:

1973

4:18

7,041 Views

Playlists:

#3

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The Dutchman is not the kind of man
Who keeps his thumb jammed in the dam
That holds his dreams in
That's a secret that only Margaret knows

When Amsterdam is golden in the summer
Margaret brings him breakfast, she believes him
He thinks the tulips bloom beneath the snow
He's mad as he can be, Margaret only sees that sometimes
Sometimes she sees her unborn children in his eyes

Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuider Zee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
Dear Margaret remembers that for me

The Dutchman still wears wooden shoes
And his cap and coat are patched with the love
Margaret sewed there
Sometimes he thinks he's still in Rotterdam

He watches the tug-boats down canals
An' calls out to them when he thinks he knows the Captain
Margaret comes to take him home again
Through unforgiving streets that trip him, though she holds his arm
Sometimes he thinks he's alone and he calls her name

Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuider Zee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me

The winters whirl the windmills 'round
She winds his muffler tighter, they sit in the kitchen
Some tea with whiskey keeps away the dew
He sees her for a moment, he calls her name
She makes the bed up singing some old love song

She learned it when the song was very new
He hums a line or two, they hum together in the dark
The Dutchman falls asleep, Margaret blows the candles out

Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuider Zee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me

Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuider Zee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me

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Steve Goodman

Steve Goodman (July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson, Goodman won two Grammy Awards. more »

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