A song which comes in any manner of varieties, some toned down for youngsters (a la Wee Sing Silly Songs and other sing-a-long tapes) or with celebratory verses tacked on the end regarding the parade thrown in honor of the goat (or describing the goat's arrival at the Pearly Gates). In the style of many camp songs, the leader sings a line and the audience echoes that line before proceeding. For those endowed with a guitar or other instrument, the "standard" chord sequence is D-G-A-D.

Below is a common camp fire version:

Bill Grogan's goat
Was feelin' fine
Ate three red shirts
Right off the line

Bill took a stick
Gave him a whack
And tied him to
The railroad track

Now when that train
Drove into sight
That goat grew pale
And green with fright

The whistle blew
The train drew nigh
Bill Grogan?s goat
Was doomed to die

He gave a cough
Of mortal pain
Coughed up those shirts
Flagged down the train!

The version below was a popular Girl Scout campfire song. Each line is repeated after a leader who is teaching the song, or the group as a whole. The italicized lines are sung at a slower tempo than the rest of the song. Apparently, at girl scout camp they don't tone down cruelty to animals.

Bill Grogan's goat
Wasn't feelin' fine
Ate three red shirts
Right off the line.

Old Bill got mad
An' gave him a whack
And he tied him to
The railroad track.

The whistle blew
the train grew neigh.
Bill Grogan's goat
Was doomed to die.

He gave three groans
three groans of pain
coughed up those shirt
and flagged the train.

But , a button got caught
In the middle of his throat
And that was the end
Of Bill Grogan's goat.