"Southern Cross" is based on the song "Seven League Boots" by Rick and Michael Curtis.

[3][4][5] Stills explained, "The Curtis Brothers brought a wonderful song called 'Seven League Boots,' but it drifted around too much.

I rewrote a new set of words and added a different chorus, a story about a long boat trip I took after my divorce.

Billboard called the song a "midtempo minor-keyed saga very much in the tradition of [Stills'] earlier CSN and solo compositions.

The video for the song, which got heavy play during the early years of the MTV and VH1 cable networks, featured Stephen Stills sailing a large boat (called Southern Cross), intercut with images of the band singing, including David Crosby although he did not sing on the song (see above).