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 that 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
But 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

He watches the tug-boats down canals
And 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 Zuiderzee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
But dear Margaret remembers that for me

The windmills whirl the winter in
She winds his muffler tighter
And they sit in the kitchen
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
She learned it when the tune was very new

He hums a line or two, they hum 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 Zuiderzee
Long ago, I used to be a young man
But dear Margaret remembers that for me