Clean the spittoons, boy.
Detroit,
Chicago,
Atlantic City,
Palm Beach.
Clean the spittoons.
The steam in hotel kitchens,
And the smoke in hotel lobbies,
And the slime in hotel spittoons:
Part of my life.
Hey, boy!
A nickel,
A dime,
A dollar,
Two dollars a day
Buy shoes for the baby.
House rent to pay.
Gin on Saturday,
This is possibly a reference to tips patrons give the boy, or it could indicate he is finding money as he cleans the spittoons. 
 See this  newspaper article on the poet for more.
Brass Spittoons