A salesman's life is a tale of woe
He's despised in every place
The rain seeps through his overcoat
And the door's slammed in his face
A salesman needs the faith of saints
His position's much the same
He's crucified by overheads
With no underdogs to blame

Here I have detergent
These boxes are my life
I flog them round from town to town
To feed my son and wife
Buy this fine detergent
How much do you require
It cleans away impurities
And stills the fleshly fires

I kiss my wife in the morning light
As I lift the beetle boot
Stack my boxes row on row
Then I hit the Danube route

Augsburg's full of scallywags
Trying on the ancient line
Saying a salesman called just yesterday
And his face looked just like mine

Here I have detergent
These boxes are my life
I flog them round from town to town
To feed my son and wife
Buy this fine detergent
It s everything you need
It's friendship for the lonely ones
For the godless it's a creed

A handsome young evangelist
Had sacred words to speak
He thought God's will appealed to me
I was studying his technique
He warned me of the enemy
With a twinkle in his eye
Then I see to my eternal shame
My rival in disguise

Here I have detergent
These boxes are my life
I flog them round from town to town
To feed my son and wife

Buy this fine detergent
Biologically prepared
To cleanse the crime from criminals
The answer to our prayers

A self-made man's a can of worms
His soul's a blood-stained sheet
But he struggles to redeem himself
As he sells from street to street

Members of the jury
I've just one thing left to add
The low is by its nature good
But a salesman must be bad

Here I hove detergent
These boxes are my life
I flog them round from town to town
To feed my son and wife

Buy this fine detergent
Salvation comes to those
Who cleanse their souls as white as white
In the washtub with their clothes

Here I have detergent
It'll be the death of me
Then I'll flog these boxes
Round the length and breadth of eternity
Me and my detergent
We're insured for all we're worth
And while we're cleaned out in purgatory
They'll be filthy rich on earth