The song "Amsterdam" by Joshua Kadison tells the story of the singer's experience in the city of Amsterdam during winter. The lyrics depict the singer wandering the streets alone early in the morning as the winter season comes to an end. The song reflects on the singer's feelings of not having found a true sense of home. Despite having pillows to lay his head, he admits to mostly being alone. The loneliness he feels is highlighted by his laughter at the irony of his situation. The chorus poses a question to the city of Amsterdam, asking what kind of man the singer is. He wonders if he is merely a wanderer in the rain or a dreamer in the sand, or perhaps just a music-loving man who is considered insane. The singer expresses his vulnerability, barely holding on by a single strand, without truly understanding himself or his place in Amsterdam. As the singer observes a boy in a window being pulled back to bed by someone, he reflects on his own foolishness. The moon's reflection in a canal symbolizes a trapped and isolated existence, similar to that of a madman in a cell. The singer longs to know a place deeply and become rooted in it. Overall, "Amsterdam" portrays a sense of longing, loneliness, and the search for identity and belonging. The song captures the singer's struggles with understanding himself and finding a sense of home in a foreign city.
