My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky has received positive critical feedback for the return of Swans as well as the rich spiritual themes of the lyrics.

[3] Later that year, many of the tracks that would appear on My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky were released in demo and acoustic form on I Am Not Insane and sold in order to fund the recording process for this album.

[9] Gira chose these musicians in part for how they would work together touring to promote this album[10] and has created a distinct sound for Swans, emphasizing rhythm and the interplay between atmospheric instruments such as dulcimer, tubular bells, and vibraphone.

[13] Gira's interest in spirituality developed with this album and his goal was to create music "to elevate, to make you levitate, almost like having it erase your body and lift you up to Heaven.

[2] In addition to releasing I Am Not Insane, Gira promoted the album by offering it for free streaming on the Internet,[15] made a demo version of the song "No Words" available on the band's MySpace page,[16] and reorganized Swans for their first tour since 1997.