The nursery rhyme ”Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone” was originally written in 1864 by songwriter Septimus Winner. I’ve never heard of him before, but he was a pretty interesting guy. He wrote a lot of songs, including “Ten Little Injuns,” and arranged quite a bit more. He was also jailed during the Civil War for treason after he wrote a song requesting that General George B. McClellan be reinstated.
The song was published under the title “Der Deitcher’s Dog.” The melody Winner used was originally from the German folksong “Zu Lauterbach hab i’ mei Strumpf verlorn.” The lyrics, written in a mock-German accent, were original. The first verse of the song is the one sung as a nursery rhyme today:
Oh where, Oh where ish mine little dog gone;
Oh where can he be.
His ears cut short und his tail cut long:
Oh where, Oh where ish he.
But the next verse and the ones after it, well. Let’s just say that I think I know why only the first one caught on.
I loves mine lager’tish very good beer,
Oh where, Oh where can he be.
But mit no money I cannot drink here.
Oh where, oh where ish he.Across the ocean in Garmanie,
Oh where can he be.
Der deitchers dog ish der best compagnie.
Oh where, Oh where ish he.Un sasage ish goot, bolonie of course,
Oh where can he be.
Dey makes um mit dog und dey makes em mit horse,
I guess de makes em mit he.
(Lyrics taken from this collection of 1800s popular songs.)