"The_Borg" schreef in bericht
...
To be precise...
It's about a Rotterdam streetboy who signs onto a ship as a 'Ketelbinkie'
a cabin boy, to be able to support his old mother. But even though he does
his very best, he cannot survive the hardships of the life on board. In
the end, he dies of exhaustion and disease. A tragic end.

It's a historical song. Every dutchman knows at least the first line of
the song. :-)

Most people sing: Toen wij uit Rotterdam vertrokken.. The actual song goes:
Toen wij van Rotterdam vertrokken.

RtW