Oliver Goldsmith: Collected Lyrics
01 / 1
Public-domain lyrics

Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog

Oliver Goldsmith

“Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog” as printed in A First Series of Hymns and Songs (1853).

Oliver Goldsmith: Collected Lyrics Text 1 1853 · historical text
Public domainHymnSacred song
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from A First Series of Hymns and Songs, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Good people all, of every sort,

Give ear unto my song;

And if you find it wondrous short,

It cannot hold you long.

Verse 2

In Islington there was a man,

Of whom the world might say,

That still a godly race he ran

Whene'er he went to pray.

Verse 3

A kind and gentle heart he had

To comfort friends and foes;

The naked every day he clad

When he put on his clothes.

Verse 4

And in that town a dog was found,

As many dogs there be,

Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound,

And curs of low degree.

Verse 5

This dog and man at first were friends;

But when a pique began,

The dog, to gain some private ends,

Went mad and bit the man.

Verse 6

Around, from all the neighb'ring streets,

The wond'ring neighbours ran,

And swore the dog had lost his wits,

To bite so good a man.

Verse 7

The wound it seem'd both sore and sad

To every Christian eye;

And while they swore the dog was mad,

They swore the man would die.

Verse 8

But soon a wonder came to light,

That shew'd the rogues they lied;

The man recovered of his bite,

The dog it was that died.

Credits

Written by Oliver Goldsmith

Words by Oliver Goldsmith. Historical text published in A First Series of Hymns and Songs (1853); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

A First Series of Hymns and Songs (1853), “Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog”

Every text in this 1853 collection is by Henry Formby (1816-1884), who died more than 140 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-26. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
Keep tracing

Keep reading the classics.

01Fight Fiercely, HarvardPublic-domain lyrics02The Old Dope PeddlerPublic-domain lyrics03Be PreparedPublic-domain lyrics04The Wild West Is Where I Want to BePublic-domain lyrics