"The Dutchman" is a song written by Michael Peter Smith in 1968 and popularized by Steve Goodman. At the time Smith wrote the song, he had never visited the Netherlands.
The song is about an elderly couple living in Amsterdam, Margaret and the title character. The unnamed Dutchman is senile, and Margaret cares for him with a sadness over what has happened to him over the years. It is a story of unconditional love.
Covers
While Goodman's cover version of "The Dutchman" is one of the best known, along with a cover by Irish artists Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem, the song has been covered by many other artists as well, including Bernard Wrigley, John Gorka, Suzy Bogguss, Norm Hacking, Anne Hills, John McDermott, The New Kingston Trio, Gamble Rogers, Tom Russell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert James Waller, Cashman & West, Josh White Jr. Wood's Tea Company, Keith Harkin, Tom Lanigan, Celtic Thunder, David Soul, Danny Doyle, Bridgewater, Dennis D'Asaro, Brendan Grace and Mara Levine (with Si Khan).