The Dutchman — Steve Goodman
Chords and lyrics for The Dutchman by Steve Goodman (key of C).
Verse 1
[C]The Dutchman's not the kind of man
Who keeps his thumb jammed in the dam
[Dm]That holds his dreams in,
[G]But that's a secret that only [C]Margaret knows.
[C]When Amsterdam is golden in the summer,
Margaret brings him breakfast,
[Dm]She believes him.
[G]He thinks the tulips bloom [C]beneath the snow.
He's mad as [F]he can be, but [G]Margaret only [C]sees that [C][B][Am]sometimes,
Sometimes she [F]sees her unborn [G]children in his [C]eyes.
Chorus
Let us [F]go to the banks of the [Em]ocean
Where the [F]walls rise [G]above the Zuider [C]Zee.
Long [Dm][A]ago, I [G]used to be a [C]young man[C] [B][Am]
And dear [F]Margaret [G]remembers that for [C]me.
[C]The Dutchman still wears wooden shoes,
His cap and coat are patched with the love
[Dm]That Margaret sewed there.
[G]Sometimes he thinks he's still in [C]Rotterdam.
[C]And he watches the tug-boats down canals
An' calls out to them when he thinks he [Dm]knows the Captain.
Till [G]Margaret comes
To take him [C]home again
Through [Dm]unforgiving streets that [G]trip him, [C][C]though she [C][B]holds his [Am][A]arm,
Sometimes he [F]thinks he's [G]alone and he calls her [C]name.
[C]The winters whirl the windmills 'round
She winds his muffler tighter
And they [Dm]sit in the kitchen.
[G]Some tea with whiskey keeps away the [C]dew.
[C]And he sees her for a moment, calls her name,
She makes the bed up singing [Dm]some old love song,
[G]A song Margaret learned
When it was [C]very new.
He hums a [Dm]line or two, [G]they sing together [C]in[C] [C][B]the [Am]dark.
The Dutchman [F]falls asleep and [G]Margaret blows [C]the candle out.
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