Songfacts®:

• This song was inspired by the English lawyer, Sir Frank Crisp (1843-1919), who was the original owner of Friar Park, which Harrison purchased in 1970. A keen horticulturist, he developed spectacular public gardens in his mansion's grounds. Harrison's 1976 song "Crackerbox Palace," was also inspired by Friar Park. Harrison's widow, Olivia, recalled to The Sun June 12, 2009: "I love that song. George was a young man - aged 27 - when he bought it. The garden was derelict and overgrown. It would take a rare person to look at that and say, "This is great." But he just set about restoring it. It's really a beautiful, beautiful place and it was just about doing it for the love of it."
• The lyrics are derived from phrases inscribed around the grounds at Friar Park. The song has been described as a love song to the house made with its own words. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Joey - Athens, GA
• The Friar Park estate has caves, an underground lake, and many more eccentricities that fascinated Harrison, who lived there until his death. The album cover is a photo of Harrison at Friar Park surrounded by some of his garden gnomes.
• This is one of 23 songs released on All Things Must Pass, Harrison's first solo album after The Beatles broke up. The album was produced by Phil Spector with a few dozen renown musicians contributing. On "The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp," Billy Preston, who was one of the few outside musicians to play on some Beatles recordings, played organ. Other musicians on the track were:
  
  Harrison: vocals, guitar
  Bobby Whitlock: piano
  Gary Wright: electric piano
  Pete Drake: pedal steel guitar
  Klaus Voormann: bass guitar
  Alan White: drums