The Dutchman Lyrics
Liam ClancyMusic Video
The Dutchman
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
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
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 windmills whirl the winter in
As she winds his muffler tighter, they sit in the kitchen
And the 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
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
Song Details
🎶 Songwriter: Michael Peter Smith (1941-2020) - American, Chicago-based singer-songwriter.
📅 Date: 1968
📝 Song Brief: The song tells the story of an elderly man in Amsterdam whose mind has grown fragile with age. His wife, Margaret, cares for him with unwavering love and tenderness, guiding him through the city’s canals, windmills, and winter mornings.
The lyrics blend gentle humour with quiet sorrow: the Dutchman calls to tugboats, believes tulips bloom beneath the snow, and slips into memories of youth. Margaret, though weary, holds onto the love they shared, remembering the young man he once was. The refrain — “Long ago I used to be a young man, and dear Margaret remembers that for me” — captures the heart of the song: love as the keeper of memory. Beautiful lyrics — beautiful song.
📖 Glossary:- Amsterdam — The capital city of the Netherlands, known for its canals, narrow houses, bridges, and maritime history.
- Rotterdam — A major Dutch port city known for its shipyards, harbours, and maritime trade. Mentioning Rotterdam places the Dutchman’s life firmly within the Netherlands’ seafaring culture.
- Zuider Zee — A former shallow bay of the North Sea that once reached deep into the Netherlands. In the 20th century it was enclosed and partially reclaimed as land, becoming the IJsselmeer.
🎻 Genre: Folk Song
Popularized by: Steve Goodman on the album, Somebody Else's Troubles in 1973.
👥 Covers: Steve Goodman, Celtic Thunder, Suzy Bogguss, Norm Hacking, Anne Hills, Mara Levine and Si Khan, John McDermott, the New Kingston Trio, Gamble Rogers, Tom Russell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert James Waller, Josh White Jr., Bernard Wrigley.
🎤 Although this is not strictly an Irish Song, it has been adopted by several Irish artists and their versions are outstanding, especially the one by our featured artist - Liam Clancy. Special thanks to Raymond Sparkman for alerting me to the backstory video by Michael Smith of how Liam Clancy came to record the song.
💿 Album: Favourites
Released: 2005
Country: Ireland
Format: 2 x CD
Genre: Folk, World, Country
🌿 You may also like:
Back To Top Back to LIAM CLANCY
