Tunie: The Dutchman

About

By Michael Peter Smith

The Dutchman's not the kind of man

To keep his thumb jammed in the dam

That holds his dreams in

But that's a secret only Margaret knows

When Amsterdam is golden in the morning

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

(chorus)

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 love

That Margaret sewed in

Sometimes he thinks he's still in Rotterdam

He watches tugboats down canals

And calls out to them when he thinks he knows the Captain

'Til Margaret comes to take him home again

Through unforgiving streets that trip him

Though she holds his arm

Sometimes he thinks that he's alone and calls her name

(chorus)

The windmills whirl the winter in

She winds his muffler tighter,

They sit in the kitchen

Some tea with whiskey keeps away the dew

He sees her for a moment, calls her name

She makes the bed up humming some old love song

She learned it when the tune was very new

He hums a line or two

They hum together in the night

The Dutchman falls asleep and Margaret blows the candle out.

(chorus)

This wonderful song was composed by Michael Smith, a GREAT songwriter and performer. The Dutchman has been covered by many artists but most memorably, IMHO, by Steve Goodman. More info? Click: artistsofnote.com/michael/index.html