The Old Dope Peddler

	Ragnar's Tom Lehrer Song Book
	The Old Dope Peddler
	from: Tom Lehrer Revisited - 1959

You are no doubt familiar with songs about the old lamplighter and the old umbrella man and the old garbage collector and all these lovable old characters who go around spreading sweetness and light to their respective communities. But, it's always seemed to me that there is one member of this happy band who does an equally splendid job, but who has never been properly recognized in song or story, and this is an attempt to remedy, at least in part, that deplorable situation.

When the shades of night are falling, Comes a fellow everyone knows. It's the old dope peddler, Spreading joy wherever he goes. Every evening you will find him, Around our neighborhood. It's the old dope peddler Doing well by doing good. He gives the kids free samples, Because he knows full well That today's young innocent faces Will be tomorrow's clientele. Here's a cure for all your troubles, Here's an end to all distress. It's the old dope peddler With his powdered happiness.

I know it's very bad form to quote one's own reviews, but I would like to mention something that the New York Times said about me a year ago which I've always treasured - they said: "Mr. Lehrer's muse is not fettered by such inhibiting factors as - taste".

Notes

Lehrer: [The Old Dope Peddler] was just intended as a takeoff on a certain genre of sentimental songs, like The Old Lamplighter and The Umbrella Man, which no one remembers any more. The idea was, it was only going to be funny if I took the most repulsive, antisocial character to write the song about. I thought about doing The Abortionist, but at that time you couldn't even say that. The dope peddler was the second choice, so there it was. -- 1996 Interview