"I was a little apprehensive about showing the band this song, because it wasn't like the other songs that we were writing," drummer Charlie Benante tells Yahoo! Music. "I was going for more of a really good riffing song and then the chorus was very melodic. It reminded me of Zeppelin."

Bassist Frank Bello contributed the melody for the song's chorus, which inspired guitarist Scott Ian. "Frank had this 'Do the right thing' line that he had inserted in there while he was singing mumbo-jumbo parts for the melody," explains Ian. "It stuck in my head, and the whole thing coalesced into this idea of getting to a point in your life where you're committing to what you want to do in life even if it's the hardest path you're ever going to take.