I heard this song from a friend from Newcastle, England.

The first verse is something along these lines:

Sam got a job on the railroad,
A job he was very clever at,
He put the grease on the engines,
With a lump of mouldy fat.
One day a runaway engine,
Came rolling down the track.
Sam firmly believed,
If he rolled up his sleeves,
He could hold that engine back!

Oh! More hard work for the undertakers,
Another little job for the tomb stone makers,
Down at the local cemetery, where
The men are digging a brand new grave for Sam,
He snuffed it,
He's gone to the golden shore,
Never to rise no more,
He's gone where the flies won't tickle him.

There are several more verses in a similar vein, Sam gets various job, such as working at the circus where he has to dive from a great height into a tiny bucket of water. Each time his naive enthusiasm leads to his death, and a cheery rendition of the chorus.

I wondered if anyone knew the origin of this song, and the author, and possibly the correct lyrics?

Michael