"the right thing to do" is a love song directed to simon's then husband james taylor. simon has stated that "it was actually one of my absolutely undisputed songs about james, written three months into our relationship." author sheila weller notes that the song is both romantic and realistic about the relationship. she shows the romanticism by disregarding her lover's problems but realistic in recognizing "her fading value in the sex-and-love marketplace." to weller, the latter is displayed in the lines: