Easy to Be Hard (Hair cover) Lyrics

Lyric discussion by norder 

Cover art for Easy to Be Hard (Hair cover) lyrics by Three Dog Night

I think the lyrics are trying to say friends should come first, before social causes. Ignoring a friend certainly can be cruel. I'd like to know the story behind the lyrics. Sounds like a lover's spat. "You know I'm hung up on you". Is this jeolousy shrowed in poetry?