OK. Here's my candidate. I don't promise that it is the song, but everything fits. Art Mooney & Orch. recorded a bunch of pop stuff with orchestra and "The Art Mooney Choir" in the forties-fifties, including "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover". The Dutchman is the flip side of their cover of "Cry of the Wild Goose", which was a Frankie Laine biggie.

Cry Of The Wild Goose/Flying Dutchman
Art Mooney & His Orchestra   1950

MGM 10 651
[vocal:Tod Manners]

Talk about obscure! I've written whole grant applications with less effort than this took. Amazing that it stuck in so many of our heads.

Maybe someone can find the lyrics from here.

- George