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Grateful Dead — Bertha
Album: Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 541









Released: 1971
Length: 5:34
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I had a hard run
Running from your window
I was all night running, running, running
I wonder if you care?
I had a run-in
Run around and run down
Run around a corner
Run smack into a tree

I had to move
Really had to move
That's why if you please
I am on my bended knees
Bertha don't you come around here anymore

Dressed myself in green
I went down to the sea
Try to see what's going down
Maybe read between the lines
Had a feeling I was falling, falling, falling

Turned around to see
Heard a voice calling, calling, calling
You was comin after me
Back to me

I had to move
Really had to move
That's why if you please
I am on my bended knees
Bertha don't you come around here anymore

Ran into a rainstorm
Ducked into a bar door
It was all night pouring, pouring rain
But not a drop on me

Test me, test me
Why don't you arrest me?
Throw me in the jail house
Until the sun goes down
Till it go down

I had to move
Really had to move
That's why if you please
I am on my bended knees
Bertha don't you come around here anymore
Comments (148)add comment
Anybody naming their kid Bertha anymore?
Alright, Jerry, ya got me.  At last, I'm bumping a Dead track to a higher rating among the living.  7 > 8.  I learn more as I get older and wiser.  I'm sorry to have taken so many years, at least for this tune. 
Long Live  Radio Paradise
Thank you
Grateful Dead  for  Bertha  and others
for me an 8  But going down 
I'm seeing Pigpen on drums in a little club  round bout Rio Nido on the Russian River .... must a been '67 but maybe I was jus
dreamin
Solid version of this song, great energy, tight sound for the Dead!! {#Group-hug}
After The Neville Bros FOTM - this came on - I thought for a brief moment - WOW! that's a great sounding Dead cover who is THIS!  LOL.Neville Brothers — Fire On The Mount
Love. It.

Back in the day, there was a little bar in Harvey Cedars, NJ, on Long Beach Island, that had a regular Saturday night band, and they always opened the night w Bertha. a nice lively version, too.
Dude, Jerry...
We're like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.
 johnjconn wrote:


whatcha got against polka music? beats the hell out of Lawrence Welk music!
 
And now the boy's um in the band um, will get a down and a get a funkie ...

 Stingray wrote:
Though BERTHA is my grannies name,
I find the song to be totally silly!

I think they did not take too much LSD,
I am certain they did not take enough,

if that song - and most others, I heard from them here -
represents their catalogue!

To me this is not far from true HILLBILLY music!

DISAPPOINTING!

Yes - I have to admit - I do not own a single GD album
they were and are absolutely not famous in Germany,
excluding certain West-Coast freaks!

MARGINAL!

 
watcha got against hillbilly music?  beats the hell out of a polka!

Well here is almost 2012 and we are still not yet The Grateful Dead.  Glad to be alive!  Well, sort of ...
 fredriley wrote:
Oh, great. After a dire Dead cover, a dire Dead original. Just what a soul needs on a Monday morning ;-|
 
It's Monday again with this channel-change-inspiring combination, though I'm not sure if I'd call this tune "dire".

 fredriley wrote:
Oh, great. After a dire Dead cover, a dire Dead original. Just what a soul needs on a Monday morning ;-|
 
Dire? Sounds lively and spirited to me.
Oh, great. After a dire Dead cover, a dire Dead original. Just what a soul needs on a Monday morning ;-|
 Tana wrote:

I'm old(er) too and love the Dead but never quite qualified as a Deadhead. However, I'm married to one, and have learned to appreciate them (and their progeny) more. That said, my high rating for this song is because of the song, not the band. It is one Dead song that really gets me going. And THAT said, I sacrilegiously prefer the version by Los Lobos.
 
bump that about Los Lobos - but I prefer Jerry's version of any Bob Dylan song and Joe Ely's version of any Butch Hancock song - so where does that leave us?
 Rooney wrote:
ick wrote:
Less Grateful Dead please!  They are just old and in the way and from those of us that don't "get" the Dead... we don't want your sympathy!

Sigh.  I'm old, I'm probably in the way, and I don't like the Dead, per se.  Was never a fan, because I still think they sang off key and off rhythm.  That being said, I'm gonna give this song a 10 anyway, because they are iconic, and influenced so many for so long.  Listen ick, you should be kinder to your elders.  That kind of sentiment has a way of coming back and biting you in your tender, but ageing, a**.

 
I'm old(er) too and love the Dead but never quite qualified as a Deadhead. However, I'm married to one, and have learned to appreciate them (and their progeny) more. That said, my high rating for this song is because of the song, not the band. It is one Dead song that really gets me going. And THAT said, I sacrilegiously prefer the version by Los Lobos.

ick wrote:
Less Grateful Dead please!  They are just old and in the way and from those of us that don't "get" the Dead... we don't want your sympathy!

Sigh.  I'm old, I'm probably in the way, and I don't like the Dead, per se.  Was never a fan, because I still think they sang off key and off rhythm.  That being said, I'm gonna give this song a 10 anyway, because they are iconic, and influenced so many for so long.  Listen ick, you should be kinder to your elders.  That kind of sentiment has a way of coming back and biting you in your tender, but ageing, a**.

 Stingray wrote:
Though BERTHA is my grannies name,
I find the song to be totally silly!

I think they did not take too much LSD,
I am certain they did not take enough,

if that song - and most others, I heard from them here -
represents their catalogue!

To me this is not far from true HILLBILLY music!

DISAPPOINTING!

Yes - I have to admit - I do not own a single GD album
they were and are absolutely not famous in Germany,
excluding certain West-Coast freaks!

MARGINAL!
 
Although this post does not really merit a response, you should be aware that the band was actually composed of musicians. It is not clear what effect you imagine LSD has on musicians. If you have any experience in this area (not evident from your post), you should realize that acid can be associated with peaceful, as well as fascistic sorts. Yet another provincial European (not that you folks are any more provincial than many Americans or Afghanis, for that matter).
 Cynaera wrote:

If your profile is correct (and you didn't falsify your personal information), you're on a collision-course with half a century, which makes you no spring chicken yourself.  I'm thinking you might want to invest in some anger-management courses. {#Mrgreen}

I love the Grateful Dead (and yeah, I'm probably old and in the way, too, but I don't care.) {#Roflol} And no sympathy for you anyway, not that I was going to demonstrate any.  I never feel sorry for people who don't like something - to each his/her own.

And it also might not be a good idea to presume to speak for anyone but yourself regarding "getting" the Dead. Your fellow "non-Deadheads" might resent having a spokesperson they didn't even elect.

Just sayin'... {#Daisy}
 

Well said!
 ick wrote:

Less Grateful Dead please!  They are just old and in the way and from those of us that don't "get" the Dead... we don't want your sympathy!

 
You've got a few years on yourself, ick.  Time to watch what your calling "old".

This album, in my humble opinion, is a 10, for me the best thing the Dead ever did. Combination of song choice and clean but still gritty sound (is that an oxymoron?) tops even "Live Dead" for me. I guess I mean that you can hear everything, all the individual instruments and everything, but there's still an edge, a swagger, if you will, to the sound which, for me, just wasn't there nearly as much after this point. Saw them live about the time this was recorded and they knocked my socks off at the Hollywood Palladium (Hot Tuna was on the bill and John Cippolina's band, Copperhead, opened, I think). "Bertha" while not my favorite tune on the album, is an easy '9' for me.
If this doesn't get your toe tappin' then I fear your toe must be broken.
 ick wrote:

Less Grateful Dead please!  They are just old and in the way and from those of us that don't "get" the Dead... we don't want your sympathy!

 
Can't agree with you but do appreciate that you recognized/used "old and in the way"...another great album!

 ick wrote:

Less Grateful Dead please!  They are just old and in the way and from those of us that don't "get" the Dead... we don't want your sympathy!

 
If your profile is correct (and you didn't falsify your personal information), you're on a collision-course with half a century, which makes you no spring chicken yourself.  I'm thinking you might want to invest in some anger-management courses. {#Mrgreen}

I love the Grateful Dead (and yeah, I'm probably old and in the way, too, but I don't care.) {#Roflol} And no sympathy for you anyway, not that I was going to demonstrate any.  I never feel sorry for people who don't like something - to each his/her own.

And it also might not be a good idea to presume to speak for anyone but yourself regarding "getting" the Dead. Your fellow "non-Deadheads" might resent having a spokesperson they didn't even elect.

Just sayin'... {#Daisy}
 ick wrote:

Less Grateful Dead please!  They are just old and in the way and from those of us that don't "get" the Dead... we don't want your sympathy!

 
Nonetheless, you have it.


No matter my grandma was "BERTHA" - this song is
a huge disappointment for those that connect
ACID and the "Dead".

To me it sounds like mountain-men music!
Never-never ever would I think about playing it,
when alone with a girl!

A bet all you grown-up girls here fully agree with me!
More Dead for me please. Can't get enough!

 ick wrote:

Less Grateful Dead please!  They are just old and in the way and from those of us that don't "get" the Dead... we don't want your sympathy!

 
More kool-aid for you!

 brians201 wrote:
Incomparable .... Gerry's guitar really swoops on this one ....  anybody that doesn't get the Dead .. well I feel sympathy for ,, hehee .. More please .. ?
 
Less Grateful Dead please!  They are just old and in the way and from those of us that don't "get" the Dead... we don't want your sympathy!

  
The same amount of Dead, please!


Less Dead, please!
More Dead, please!
Though BERTHA is my grannies name,
I find the song to be totally silly!

I think they did not take too much LSD,
I am certain they did not take enough,

if that song - and most others, I heard from them here -
represents their catalogue!

To me this is not far from true HILLBILLY music!

DISAPPOINTING!

Yes - I have to admit - I do not own a single GD album
they were and are absolutely not famous in Germany,
excluding certain West-Coast freaks!

MARGINAL!

absolutely right robb ~ but before that era the setup was different lol ~ but well done well done

 
robb104 wrote:

don't you mean:

{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}{#Bananajam}{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}{#Bananapiano}

As Pierre would say, " God Bless the grateful Dead."

 


The Greatest Band In The Land....  those were the days.
I wanted to name my daughter Bertha.  Wife wouldn't go for it.  Had to settle for Shannon (from Jack Straw). 
One of my favorite Dead songs.

Since RP finally played Paul Pena's awesome original 1973 version of Jet Airliner (yes, the Steve Miller Band version was a cover), I encourage Grateful Dead fans to check out "Venutian Lady" off Paul's 1973 album "New Train."  Features Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar, evoking a strong "Bertha" vibe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Train

 nalle wrote:
{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}{#Bananapiano}{#Motor}
 
don't you mean:

{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}{#Bananajam}{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}{#Bananapiano}

As Pierre would say, " God Bless the grateful Dead."

{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}{#Bananapiano}{#Motor}
Oh Yeah!

{#Dancingbanana}
Bertha was an electric fan!
Grateful Dead.  Still don't get it...

 godspeed wrote:

shaka bra!

 
Shaka back! Rock on.

You guys rule... haha. :)
I still play this on LP.
 parttime wrote:
Oh,, Yeah!
 
shaka bra!

Oh,, Yeah!
 ekeyte wrote:
Wow.... amazing segue.... only true fans are gonna get that one!!!
 
YUPPER!!!!

 ekeyte wrote:
Wow.... amazing segue.... only true fans are gonna get that one!!!
 
huzzah
Wow.... amazing segue.... only true fans are gonna get that one!!!
 calypsus_1 wrote:

 

impressive as these musicians they work in 1971;  prominence in this occasion for the excellent performance of Phil Lesh, on bass  guitar, vocals (of master)

remembering Mr. Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia and Mr. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan 

** 9 **


 
AMEN!!!!!

In spite of the "love them or hate them" just listen to the chords ... these guys definitely have it together.

 spudboy wrote:
{#Rolleyes}  Cheese with that box o whine?
 
No thanks, the Dead are cheesy enough {#Mrgreen}
Ratdog played this tune this past weekend at the Beacon Theatre in NYC....fantastic....better than ever..this sruff just never gets old

 fredriley wrote:
Some think the band name is ironic, but to the Nottingham jury it's simply descriptive. I've not heard a single GD number that rates above 2, and sadly this is no exception. They may have been trailblazers in their day and the dog's bollox, but their music hasn't IMO dated very well. This one just gives me a headache :(
 

{#Rolleyes}  Cheese with that box o whine?
Some think the band name is ironic, but to the Nottingham jury it's simply descriptive. I've not heard a single GD number that rates above 2, and sadly this is no exception. They may have been trailblazers in their day and the dog's bollox, but their music hasn't IMO dated very well. This one just gives me a headache :(
All I can say is... {#Bananajam}

Go Jerry Go!...


Incomparable .... Gerry's guitar really swoops on this one ....  anybody that doesn't get the Dead .. well I feel sympathy for ,, hehee .. More please .. ?

 

impressive as these musicians they work in 1971;  prominence in this occasion for the excellent performance of Phil Lesh, on bass  guitar, vocals (of master)

remembering Mr. Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia and Mr. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan 

** 9 **




I still like this track and respect the Los Lobos cover.
WoOT!
Good song....just saw it too many times to count live.  Usually a first set ender....
Dead just sounds bad.
Zep wrote:
I'll trade you all of my Dead for all of your Radiohead.... The seldom-used '3' rating emerges!
Why do you own music you don't like?
ch83575 wrote:
I think I could literally just listen to the dead all day. Actually, sometimes I do!
I'll trade you all of my Dead for all of your Radiohead.... The seldom-used '3' rating emerges!
Something about the Dead just moves me in a very strange way. I just feel good about the world, that can't be a Bad thing, Right?
sugarbaby wrote:
los lobos does a great version of this..
And here are Los Lobos playing Bertha, outdoors, for free in lovely Driggs, ID three weeks ago. Yeah baby!!!
I saw an interview with Jerry a bunch of years ago, even he understood the likes and dislikes of the Dead. He equated it to black licorice. Either you love it, or you hate it. Hate black licorice, love the Dead.
sugarbaby wrote:
los lobos does a great version of this..
I concur...saw Los Lobos last week at a great outdoor venue - they covered Allman Bros, Fats Domino, and Neil Young, among others, and ended the show with the Dead's Bertha. My 16-yr-old son was dragged up on stage to dance with the band during Bertha. What a moment - I still have goosebumps.
I think I could literally just listen to the dead all day. Actually, sometimes I do! Dead Archive
los lobos does a great version of this..
for half a second, i thought this was going to be Paul Pena. :(
For my part, I prefer my Garcia with fudge flakes.
milehighYinzer wrote:
I was talking to a fellow Deadhead and we were talking about Jerry as a musician. We agreed that you either love Jerry's guitar and the Dead, or you don't get Jerry's guitar and you don't like it. However, not to respect Jerry as a musician or admit that he was unique is just stupid. I have always hung out with musicians, and I never met one that never respected the Dead. I am not saying that they listened to them all the time, but they all at least respected them.
Right milehigh. Musicians generally do respect them. I've always be a bit puzzled by the Dead bashing too. My latest theory is that it is backlash to the over zealous fans.
speaking of Dead fans....this song is about a fan...the oscillating variety, I believe....fell over and skittered around the floor....really had to move.
bokey wrote:
The time I saw them they did the same thing.IT was terrible. My impression is they were a bunch of con men who posed as musicians and had a decades long party on someone elses tab.They probaly laughed their asses off about it all the time. Every time they had to give up trying to tune after a while because it was taking ridiculously long so each song they played was progressively more out of tune.
You just keep making yourself look like an ignorant moron with each post you add. You should quit while you're ahead...............
I was talking to a fellow Deadhead and we were talking about Jerry as a musician. We agreed that you either love Jerry's guitar and the Dead, or you don't get Jerry's guitar and you don't like it. However, not to respect Jerry as a musician or admit that he was unique is just stupid. I have always hung out with musicians, and I never met one that never respected the Dead. I am not saying that they listened to them all the time, but they all at least respected them.
bokey wrote:
That's kind of harsh.You have to look at the fans as victims,kind of like Jonestown.
I'm tired of the dead bashing. I'm no druggie but i really enjoy their stuff. I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the quantity of stuff and the fun they have playing together.
pushkinjim wrote:
I also saw them, and it was the same. Dopes on dope - just like the faithful following that the Dead had - dopes on dope!
That's kind of harsh. You have to look at the fans as victims,kind of like Jonestown.
Amazon wrote:
I consider myself a Deadhead but I've always thought this track a bit weak on the technical side. Great song, tho.
I've always felt this song was the best rhythm guitar playing ever.
bokey wrote:
The time I saw them they did the same thing.IT was terrible. My impression is they were a bunch of con men who posed as musicians and had a decades long party on someone elses tab.They probaly laughed their asses off about it all the time.
I also saw them, and it was the same. Dopes on dope - just like the faithful following that the Dead had - dopes on dope!
LizDeines wrote:
I saw the Dead in concert once and it was enough, they spent more time tuning their instruments and getting stoned than they did playing music.
The time I saw them they did the same thing. IT was terrible. My impression is they were a bunch of con men who posed as musicians and had a decades long party on someone elses tab. They probaly laughed their asses off about it all the time. Every time they had to give up trying to tune after a while because it was taking ridiculously long so each song they played was progressively more out of tune.
LizDeines wrote:
I saw the Dead in concert once and it was enough, they spent more time tuning their instruments and getting stoned than they did playing music.
Every body can have an off night. You should have given them another chance.
I consider myself a Deadhead but I've always thought this track a bit weak on the technical side. Great song, tho.
As I've noted elsewhere on RP, I'm not a Dead fan, but this song is an exception for me - it's very cool.
I saw the Dead in concert once and it was enough, they spent more time tuning their instruments and getting stoned than they did playing music.
SpaceCase wrote:
Cheers to all that understand what makes The Grateful Dead so special in the hearts of many...and no, it's not only the intoxicants....
Cheers to all that understand what makes The Grateful Dead so special in the hearts of many...and no, it's not only the intoxicants....
Love this song, loved this band back in the day, but I do understand that others dont.....
etwilson wrote:
I'm sorry that you can't appreciate great music. And for the record, the 'scene' at deadshows was just icing on the cake. To any true deadhead, the music is and was the center attraction.
Let's remember that 'great music' is a matter of opinion. The original comment was sincere... simply expressing that, in his opinion, the music was not the main attraction.
always happiness on any day, and maybe my fav opener
the dead were a force of nature. and just like nature, day in and day they continually changed. some days they shone brightly, other days not so much. but it always felt good to be surrounded by gentle, caring souls enjoying music designed to make you feel good. and i have to admit, i think the dead jokes are kind of funny because they contain a kernel of truth, even if not entirely accurate.
milehighYinzer wrote:
Thats the lamest gayest joke ever heard. I quit smoking years ago and love this. If you can't jam to Bertha it must really really suck being you.
Gotta be able to laugh at yourself. I always loved that joke. Here's a bumper sticker that I've always liked even though i am a fan of both butts of this joke. jerry's dead, phish s@#$$, get a job sorry to be slighlty profane, but it's funny All Respect to the memory of Jerry music if the best -FZ
LOVE the Dead. Anytime, anywhere.
Stefen wrote:
Their concerts were more events than a musical recitals. I loved the experiences, but their music was not actually all that good. Sorry, Heads.
That would be just your (unenlighted) personal opinion.
I run hot and cold on the Dead, I went to their concerts frequently back in the day. But DAYUM I love this song! Best rhythm guitar I've ever heard.
There are other versions of this song that are more musically interesting. Not my favorite Dead song.
Stefen wrote:
Their concerts were more events than a musical recitals. I loved the experiences, but their music was not actually all that good. Sorry, Heads.
I'm sorry that you can't appreciate great music. And for the record, the 'scene' at deadshows was just icing on the cake. To any true deadhead, the music is and was the center attraction.
milehighYinzer wrote:
Thats the lamest gayest joke ever heard. I quit smoking years ago and love this. If you can't jam to Bertha it must really really suck being you.
Lighten up. I love the Dead and I think that joke is funny.
milehighYinzer wrote:
Thats the lamest gayest joke ever heard. I quit smoking years ago and love this. If you can't jam to Bertha it must really really suck being you.
Did you actually use the term, "gayest" as an insult? Wow, I'm SO glad that I'm not you - stuck in the macho seat, needing to feel superior, searching for a witty riposte and coming up with "gayest." Insults are the last bastion of fools and the ignorant.
Their concerts were more events than a musical recitals. I loved the experiences, but their music was not actually all that good. Sorry, Heads.
milehighYinzer wrote:
Thats the lamest gayest joke ever heard. I quit smoking years ago and love this. If you can't jam to Bertha it must really really suck being you.
Radio Paradise is almost as good for the messages the listeners leave as for the music it plays... excellent :D
vandal wrote:
Q: What did the deadheads say when they ran out of weed? A: "What is this awful music?"
Thats the lamest gayest joke ever heard. I quit smoking years ago and love this. If you can't jam to Bertha it must really really suck being you.
Q: What did the deadheads say when they ran out of weed? A: "What is this awful music?"
milehighYinzer wrote:
F yeah, one jammin great song.
F Yeah, one jammin great song again.
wonderful country-rock. Why this stuff never made it to country radi is beyond me.
YourNameHere wrote:
I actually prefer the Los Lobos version on Just Another Band From East L.A. Then again I was never a big Dead fan.
The Dead performed this one probably 200 times, most of which are readily available in circulation. Certainly you can find a version better than the Los Lobos.
F yeah, one jammin great song.
I actually prefer the Los Lobos version on Just Another Band From East L.A. Then again I was never a big Dead fan.
Vince died yesterday. RIP
The first track on my first-ever Dead album... Damn good!
absolutemotion wrote:
I love it, tix price of $5.25. In today's price, that's about $18-$20.
LongGoneDaddy wrote:
best version, Skull and Roses!!! thanks again!
best version, Skull and Roses!!! thanks again!
absolutemotion wrote:
You guys are making me feel old! Below are the remains of a ticket from my first Dead concert... Jersey City, August 1974. And even though it says "rain or shine", the show was actually a few days later since Roosevelt Stadium became a mud bowl after a steady rainstorm . Like most concerts I attended back then, I only have fragmented memories ... but I was able to listen to that show again recently to hear what I forgot via a download from https://tinyurl.com/39kv2
Hey I was there too, I remember you. First time I saw them was right before they went to Europe, 1972. Pigpen was alive then, will never forget it.
Losman wrote:
that was a hot day....90's....water cannons going on both sides of the stadium...I'll never forget the feeling when that water finally hit me
Oh Man...does that sound like a little piece of heaven or what!?!