The "Southern Cross" is a constellation also known as the Crux Constellation that can be viewed from most of the Southern Hemisphere. The four brightest stars within the constellation form a cross pattern. Sailors have relied on the Southern Cross to help in navigating their boats; it appears on the national flags of Australia and New Zealand.
The song was written by Stephen Stills with help from Richard Curtis and Michael Curtis. In the CSN boxed set, 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. It's about using the power of the universe to heal your wounds. Once again, I was given somebody's gem and cut and polished it."
Following the Graham Nash composition "Wasted On The Way," "Southern Cross" was the second single from Daylight Again, the first Crosby, Stills & Nash album since CSN in 1977. They recorded the song in 1981, when, as Nash explained, David Crosby had crossed a rubicon when drugs were more important than music. By the time the album was released in 1982, he had been arrested on drug charges for which he eventually served an eight-month prison sentence. When he got out in 1986, he was sober, and Neil Young honored his pledge to make music with him if he got clean. In 1988, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released American Dream, their first album with all four members since Déjà Vu in 1970.
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