The Dutchman

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

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