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 snows
He's mad as he can be
But Margaret only sees that sometimes
She often sees her unborn children
In his eyes
Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuiderzee
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 in
Sometimes he thinks he's still in Rotterdam
He watches tug boats down canals
And calls out to them
When he thinks he knows the captain
Then Margaret comes to take him home again
Through unforgiving streets
A tripping though she holds his arm
Sometimes he thinks that he's alone
And he calls her name
Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuiderzee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me
The windmills swirl the winter air
She winds his muffler tighter
They sit in the kitchen
And some tea with whiskey keeps away the dew
He sees her for a moment, calls her name
She makes his bed up
Singing some old love song
A song she learned when it was very new
She sings 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 Zuiderzee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me
Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuiderzee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me