Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)

Subject: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: and e
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 05:27 PM

Do you know Sam (or Dan) the Lavatory Man song?   

Would you mind singing your version over the phone and leave it
as a voice mail so that I can get a copy of the tune &
lyrics ?

Please call [phone] and leave a voice mail. Thanks!


An American version:

Sam, Sam the lavatory man
Chief inspector of the outhouse clan
He issues the tissues the papers and the towels
And listens to the sounds of the human bowels
Down, down, down below the ground
Where all the little poopies are floating all around
There sits Sam the lavatory man
Scooping up the poopies in his little tin can, Dink!

See this sung here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEzW4Wd8uRA

Subject: RE: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: and e
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 05:30 PM

"Sam Sam the Lavatory Man" is Roud song #44404

See here: https://archives.vwml.org/search/all:combined/0_50/all/score_desc/extended-roudNo_tr:44404

There is only one reference for this song -- an audio recording
from the D.K. Wilgus sound collection at UCLA, Los Angeles.
This is not in the ballad index.

I was quite surprised that there wasn't a thread dedicated to
this ditty. All I find is "Lyr Req: The Lavatory Man (not the usual one)".

As time allows, I will post the versions scraped from various
mudcat posts, field collected versions, and manuscript examples
going back to the 1920s.

The tune seems quite variable and there is some variation
to the lyrics -- the British version is strange to me --
hence the request above for voicemails. Any contribution
is appreciated.

Subject: RE: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: and e
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 05:38 PM

One from Girl Scout Camp...

Sam, Sam, the lavatory man
Chief inspector of the Dew Drop Inn
Issues the tissues, the papers and the towels
As he listens to the rumble of the human bowel

Down, down, down beneath the ground
Where all the poopies go floating all around
There lives Sam the lavatory man
Scooping up the poopies in his little tin can

Posted by Carolyn in the Naughty kids'greatest hits thread on June 19, 1998.


See here: https://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=31027

Subject: RE: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: and e
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 08:39 PM

Only lyrics i can remeber from this old bawdy song.
was the one my wifes grandpa used to sing.

"DAN...DAN... The lavatory man.
cleaning up the crap all day.
in and out urinals, picking up the finals.
don't know shit from clay.

Posted GUEST,Gazza in the Lyr Req: The Lavatory Man (not the usual one) mudcat thread on June 11, 2011.

See here: https://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=3177015

Subject: RE: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: and e
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 08:44 PM

Dan Dan the lavatory man
Underneath the ground all day
In and out urinals
Sorting out the finals
Dan did every way
In and out the traps
Sorting out the craps
Didn’t know shit from clay
‘Cause the only thing that Dan could hear
Was ‘Brrut Brrut Brrut’ all day

Posted by GUEST,Phil in the The Lavatory Man (not the usual one) mudcat thread on Jun 19, 2020.


See here: https://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=4060226

Subject: RE: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: and e
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 08:48 PM

Dan, Dan the lavatory man...
cleaning up the muck all day...
cleaning up the 'you know'...
reading the football final,
passing the merry hours away gor blimey...

Posted by GUEST,guest to the mudcat Lyr Req: 'Once in China there lived a great man... on April 18, 2007.


See here: https://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=2028992

Subject: RE: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: and e
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 08:55 PM

Dan, Dan the lavatory man
Underneath the ground all day
In and out urinals
picking out the finals
Oh what a game to play.

Posted by Bert to the mudcat thread Sewer song on June 2, 2001.


See here: https://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=474995

Subject: RE: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: and e
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 08:56 PM

Goddamn Sam I

Goddamn Sam, the lavatory man,
Chief Engineer of the shit house clan,
Pass out the paper, pass out the towels
Run to the rhythm of the people's bowels.
Deep Down, under the ground
Little black turds swimming round and round
Flip, flap, under that shack
I've got the shithouse blues.....

I Learned on the playground while at Elementary school in
Kensington MD USA. I sang it for my singing teacher,the l are
great Lisa Null at a lesson once and she sang me a different
but similar set of words, so the song got around.

Posted by Severn to the Lyr Req: Sewer songs on February 13, 2024.

See here: https://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=4197148

Subject: RE: Origins: Sam, Sam the Lavatory Man (aka Dan Dan)
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 03 Jan 25 - 06:41 AM

Salford, Lancs, UK, 1950s:

Sam Sam, the dustbin man
Washed his face in a frying pan,
Combed his hair with a donkey's tail
And scratched his belly with his big toenail.

Rather mild, not so scatological, more 7 year old than adolescent. There wasn't much of a tune to it, a sort of vague modulation, a worn- out version of "Over the hills and far away".