Lyric discussion by Ultimate Panopticon 

Cover art for Oh Girl lyrics by Chi-Lites, The

A man feels he'll be nothing without the woman he loves should she leave him and thinks he should do more. His so-called friends poke fun at him and tell him he's going about it all wrong with the second motion, saying the opposite is true. The man tries to be like the general crowd but in the end forfeits and decides to set the woman free believing she'd be happier with someone else.

I could be wrong, though.