Pretty interesting commentary lol. The song is about a fan, according to Robert Hunter, who wrote it. A huge electric fan that the Dead had at Club Front their offices/studio in San Rafael. It had no front grill covering the blades of the fan, and when they turned it on the vibration made it slowly move across the floor. Everyone called the fan Bertha because of its size. Hunter wrote the song tongue in cheek so that it would have more than one meaning. But the fan was a electric fan and when it vibrated across the floor towards you, you had to move, move, you really had to move.
Pretty interesting commentary lol. The song is about a fan, according to Robert Hunter, who wrote it. A huge electric fan that the Dead had at Club Front their offices/studio in San Rafael. It had no front grill covering the blades of the fan, and when they turned it on the vibration made it slowly move across the floor. Everyone called the fan Bertha because of its size. Hunter wrote the song tongue in cheek so that it would have more than one meaning. But the fan was a electric fan and when it vibrated across the floor towards you, you had to move, move, you really had to move.