[5] According to Allmusic critic Richie Unterberger, this is not a problem since "enhancing the general mysterious atmosphere is more important than providing an answer.
"[5] Music critic Bill Janovitz suggests that the first verse sounds like singer Jagger is "tiptoeing as if in a game of hide and seek.
[5][6] As he does on "Lady Jane," another song from Aftermath, Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones plays a dulcimer on "I Am Waiting.
[5] Janovitz praises how the song combines Eastern thought that was popular in music during the mid-1960s with "broadening sonics and higher fidelity.
"[7] Author Jim Beviglia rates it as the Rolling Stones' #32 all-time greatest song, calling it a "wistful, wonderful track.