I’ve known and loved this song for over 40 years. I sang it every night to my daughters (along with Puff). Now sometimes I sing it to their children. The older I get, the more meaningful this song becomes to me. Thank you, Michael.

So sorry to hear of Michael's passing...I remember going to see him at folk club outside Chicago...after hearing Steve Goodman's cover of this song...then learning to play it...still feel it's one of the greatest folk songs of all!!! RIP, Michael 😪 BUT...the music lives on 🎶❣🎶❣🎶❣🎶❣🎶

HOW WONDERFUL TO HEAR HIM TELL THE "BACKSTORY" OF THIS MARVELOUS SONG...AND SING IT...THIS IS "ONE FOR THE AGES"...THANK YOU!!!

For many of us, this will always be a Steve Goodman tune. Saw him do it more than once.

I literally just burst into tears. My parents played this when I was a kid.

As an Irish man who has always listened to Liam Clancys version I can't believe it was you who wrote this. Well done sir. Thanks for writing such a beautiful song.

I never thought I'd have kids, but finally I did in my late 40s. I think his line about her seeing his unborn children in his eyes was subconsciously a major reason. Thank God for him.

Beautiful song! I love it! I'm a widow and miss my late husband.

Decades old, this song. But could be an anthem for all those living with a partner with dementia. Not a tragedy, just two people who remember above all how to love.

One the very greatest American Songwriter's of our time sadly now gone, but never to be forgotten.

Exquisitely written song❤️

Michael taught me The Dutchman at The Flick Coffee House in Miami, Fl. and I've played it for over 40 years .. / Thanks Michael ...

Went to see him twice with my Dad in the early 2000's and I still get goosebumps during the last refrain when the audience starts singing. They always seem to do it with great reverence.

Love, when time has passed by. A wonderful, powerful, emotional song. Michael Peter Smith wrote it when he was young, and he had never been to Amsterdam. It made this aging guy cry a few tears.

Truly beautiful. Never tire of this song. What a treat to hear the author sing it!! Magic!!

I heard Michael sing this when he was quite a young man, in LA in the early 70s I think, at the Icehouse in Pasadena and other venues around LA. Beautiful even then..

Can't hear it without a tear in my eye.

There's always something special about hearing a song you love performed by the person who wrote it.....especially a song for the ages like this one..... Truly a great post!

I think sometimes as a songwriter it all comes together and the result is a perfect song like this.

Thank you Michael Peter Smith for this song! It's been a cover in my gigs for nearly 30 years. I do hope to keep it going with total appreciation and always give your name as the author... Just a beautiful piece! Played it for a community dinner just last month. Yup. Thank you...

A beautiful, wonderful, love song.

I'm so sorry to hear that Michael is very unwell just now. Blessings for your wonderful music - may you travel easily

Beautiful Song. As a child we lived near a couple of Dutch Families. Great people . They liked my last name-lol { Holland } . Partied a few times with Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy. Great Guys.........very plain & down -to - earth. CHEERS

LOVE this! RIP Michael

It's like if I wanted to get away from Michael Peter Smith and move on .. well it's like he always seems to somehow just come back to me. Just a great singer songwriter .. his voice ! and he's not too damn bad on guitar either. I've seen him play around here in Chicago more than a few times, and have more than a few of his albums (CD's). The man is just brilliant. What a gift for all of us to enjoy !

So a magical Song. ....thank Michael

Beautiful, he almost brings himself to tears. That's what the song does to me when I hear it and sing it.

Awesome - good to see you David :)

Beautiful song - and the version with the most integrity. Michael Peter Smith - Come to Australia!!

I Love this song , it speaks to getting old and never forgetting what true love is

What a great song. Thank you Michael Peter Smith for writing it. Isn't it wonderful how a wonderful song just comes through you and lives on for years and years as a classic. Bravo!

Too many UK fans of this flawless lyric think Liam Clancy wrote it. In the US, they think Steve Goodman. While that's certainly a tribute to these deeply evocative performers, I'm relieved to have lived long enough to embarrassingly recently exit the latter group. Apologies and gratitude, Mr. Smith. Brilliantly done and RIP.

Great song from a master song-writer. He will be missed...

Wow! Could listen to this guy forever! He's one of my top ten all-time performers to listen to ( and I'm an amateur entertainer all of my 70 yrs of life so I listen to a lot of performers and music)on my bucket List to see him perform live andhearhis stories as well Elsa Koczan

Sometimes, the gift is being able to write the music, and sometimes, the gift is being able to sing the song.

thank you for a great song

I cry like a baby everytime I hear this song, everytime I try to play it.

I love love love this song. Stevie Goodman's version is my favorite... though they are all great. Had the great fortune to know Steve. We spent some time together in Athens Georgia when he was there performing at "The Last Resort". Such a great talent and great person.

beautiful the best version I ever heard

A very emotive song, I love it! Love at its'purist!

Love!

On the Mount Rushmore of folk songs.

thru the threads of the mysterious musical universe many years ago david allen coe brought me here..

Beaytifulsong that will be sung for hundreds of years.

What a great song, sometime you just stumble on to it a fall in love with it. This is just such a song...Wonder if I'm reflecting on my young years?

Just. Beautiful. ❤

Great story about a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.

The Dutchman, beautiful song . I look forward to seeing you at the house concert on Feb 17th.

I worked as a priest for twenty´three years in Holland (now in Mexico) and this reminds me of real people...

Love this presentation by Michael Peter Smith. Saw him do a similar cover (wonderful) here, several times in the past 10 years or so.

It is true, Life creates music and music creates life. Great song, wonderful story...

Many happy memories of hearing this song in the pubs in Westport.

Lovely song. Wonderful performance.

I 1st heard this song and loved it when I was still a young man ...but now it really gets to me.

Great job. I love this song.

Magnificent,...this is going in my repertoire

Incredible! Thank you!!

Thanks for sharing this David, it's wonderful.

Great story!

BRAVO Best tribute to Liam from a very talented writer

Lovely song

Wonderful song..............

As an ecstatic immigrant to Vermont and new warehouse manager for the then Independent Music distributor, Silo/Alcazar Records, picking LP orders to ship across the USA, I inevitably got to listen to many of the recordings. There used to be a show on the BBC in England called Desert Island Discs where well known people chose, and had played, their 10 favorite recordings. I would have to cheat and take the entire collections,Time and Michael Smith both with me. I'd insist it only count for 2 !

As I get older I cry every time I hear it, especially by Anne Hills and Michael.

Great song

Of all the great songs ever written, this one is probably the most realistic in terms of humanity. Steve Goodman's album version is the best rendition of it I've heard.

I did something impromptu tonight related to this song. I juxtaposed Dutchman with Daisy a Day, replacing the chorus of Daisy with that from the Dutchman. Try it, you will be surprised how well they fit. Both are in C Major.

R.I.P dear sir.

Nice.

Ewan McColl wrote "Dirty Old Town" about his home town Salford, near Manchester. Lots of towns have old canals and gaswork walls, so the song has been variously claimed by Derry, Dublin and Belfast and no one really minds. Dublin used to have the nickname "Dirty Dublin" - no longer deserved by the way. Phil Coulter's song "The Town I loved so Well" is definitely about Derry.

“The Dutchman” has been one of, if not the powerful and meaningful songs for me for reasons sad and beautiful 40 years long. So I hate to admit this but I always thought it was a Steve Goodman tune.

I woke up thinking about this song. I think my first exposure was from Steve Goodman's recording that I stole on Napster. It is one of my favorite songs ever and it frustrates me that I haven't even thought of it for years. I last covered it on KZfaq ten years ago. I'll do it again, maybe today. I can't do all that fancy finger picking but I'll strum it and sing it like the Steve Goodman version that I first heard with the multiple guitars.

Great song with a lot of wonderful versions here on KZfaq. Listen to Jerry Jeff Walker.

Wonderful tune. Listen also to Steve Goodman's version.

I was turned onto your music by TFIA and played guitar on their version of "Dead Egyptian Blues." When Ezra played this song for me the first time, I cried unabashed tears. You're a most remarkable songwriter, Mr. Smith and I'd really love to hear from you if possible!

Wonderful performance of a marvellous song. I love the before and after comments. Go into any pub in Ireland and ask can anyone sing this song. Just about everybody will belt out the chorus; however most will struggle with the verse as the melody here is quite subtle. Irish people like claiming songs as being traditional old songs. For example most Irish people think that Ewan MacColl's song Dirty Old Town is about Dublin, whereas it was actually written about Salford in England

Love Steve Goodman;s version--but this is slightly better

Bless you, dadama925, Forewarned is forearmed. I've never heard "A Daisy A Day" but still, believe me, I SO hope I never have to listen to this.

1:45 start

Great cover of this beautiful song by Bob Shane - performed live with The New Kingston Trio (Lost Masters 1967-1972). Check it out on KZfaq; it's my favorite rendition.

Hmmmm. I always thought Dirty Old Town was about Derry City, Ireland.

all of us old men know its coming. . .

Do yourself a favor and listen to Steve Goodman version C

One thing that could have given credibility to the "shell-shocked" theory is the mention of Rotterdam, which was heavily bombed by the Nazis in 1940.

When you s

Better not listen to versions of Steve Goodman and Liam Clancy

I watched the Clancy's version (referring to the dutchman as being shell-shocked). Yea, I agree it puts a negative take on the song .. takes away from the substance and beauty of the song. And especially, somehow degrades the character of the dutchman.

Pissant