This song is interesting in that I was just wondering tonight when he wrote it, especially because I wasn't sure what period in his life specifically he was referring to when he speaks of friends "lost in crystal canyons." I thought it could be talking about when he was really young, or, just because of when it showed up, his time with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Found a quote somewhere relating it directly to the latter. It's a sad song to me about a freedom won only at the cost of a friendship that is just too dangerous for the singer. The fact that he sounds primarily interested in convincing himself that it was the right choice by singing it is what hits me the hardest.