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The Dutchman Lyrics
The Dutchman's not the kind of man
Who keeps his thumb jammed in the dam
That holds his dreams in,
But 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, but 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
And dear Margaret remembers that for me.
The Dutchman still wears wooden shoes,
His cap and coat are patched with the love
That Margaret sewed there.
Sometimes he thinks he's still in Rotterdam.
And he watches the tug-boats down canals
An' calls out to them when he thinks he knows the Captain.
Till 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
And they sit in the kitchen.
Some tea with whiskey keeps away the dew.
And he sees her for a moment, calls her name,
She makes the bed up singing some old love song,
A song Margaret learned
When it was very new.
He hums a line or two, they sing together in the dark.
The Dutchman falls asleep and Margaret blows the candle 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.
Who keeps his thumb jammed in the dam
That holds his dreams in,
But that's a secret that only Margaret knows.
Margaret brings him breakfast,
She believes him.
He thinks the tulips bloom beneath the snow.
Sometimes she sees her unborn children in his eyes.
Where the walls rise above the Zuider Zee.
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me.
His cap and coat are patched with the love
That Margaret sewed there.
Sometimes he thinks he's still in Rotterdam.
An' calls out to them when he thinks he knows the Captain.
Till Margaret comes
To take him home again
Sometimes he thinks he's alone and he calls her name.
Where the walls rise above the Zuider Zee.
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me.
She winds his muffler tighter
And they sit in the kitchen.
Some tea with whiskey keeps away the dew.
She makes the bed up singing some old love song,
A song Margaret learned
When it was very new.
The Dutchman falls asleep and Margaret blows the candle out.
Where the walls rise above the Zuider Zee.
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me.
Song Info
Submitted by
musicalcure On Feb 18, 2009
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Between the Lines
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
For an excellent treatment of the origins of this song and some respectable performances, see http://compvid101.blogspot.com/2011/02/michael-peter-smith-steve-goodman-and.html (especially listen to the performance by Liam Clancy). This is a song about an eldery couple, the Ducthman and his devoted wife Margaret. The Dutchman suffers from dementia, and cannot remember most of the things he used to know, but Margaret still believes in him, and what he cannot remember, "Dear Margaret remembers that for me."
I heard this song for the first time tonight when I put my daughter to bed. She had the Celtic Thunder's "Heritage" CD in her stereo, and I just put the first song on repeat. It happened to be the Dutchman. As it kept repeating, I was more and more drawn in to what the song was saying, and the relationship he and Margaret still share, after mental illness (Altzheimer's? Post-WW2 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?) has taken its toll. After about the dozenth time, I went and hugged my wife of 17 years. She wondered why I was sobbing.
Enjoy this song. If you are fortunate enough to have someone to grow old with, enjoy it together.