"The Dutchman" by Steve Goodman

Stephen Joshua Goodman

The Dutchman is lovely song made (a bit) famous by the Chicago-born singer-songwriter Steve Goodman. He didn't write this particular song but his version is by far the best one.

I recommend listening here and coming back to read about it!

The lyrics are printed below if you want to follow along.

THE DUTCHMAN by Michael Peter Smith                      

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.

It's a sad story about growing old, dementia and long-lasting love. But, it's not entirely sad, having some wistful elements of nostalgia. I like the lines:
"And he sees her for a moment, calls her name,

She makes the bed up singing some old love song".
Such a clear picture is painted in those two lines.
Steve Goodman died of Leukaemia in 1984 aged just 36. He had known his illness was terminal for some time but kept on working and writing. His most famous song is The City of New Orleans made famous by Arlo Guthrie.