Ain’t My First Rodeo

The phrase This ain’t my first rodeo, meaning “This isn’t my first time” or “I already have experience with this” goes back at least as far as the 1981 Joan Crawford biopic Mommie Dearest, where Faye Dunaway as Crawford famously declares, Don’t f— with me, fellas. This ain’t my first time at the rodeo. Later, in 1990, Vern Gosdin brought this version of the expression into country music with his song “This Ain’t My First Rodeo.” Earlier forms of this expression involve such activities as a goat roping, a goat race, pumpkin picking, or a frog race. A still older version from the 1940s goes I’ve been to three state fairs and a goat roping and I’ve never seen anything like this. Another variant: I’ve been to two state fairs, a goat roping, and a frog race… This is part of a complete episode.