"In the songs he was writing shortly before his recording debut in 1972, Jackson Browne continually alluded to apocalyptic events, but never more explicitly than in 'Rock Me...'," he wrote.

If I say 'when my life is over, I'm going to stand before the father, but the sisters of the sun are going to rock me on the water now' is like a way of, lovingly, and in a friendly way, refuting the traditional and conventional messages of redemption having to do with the straight and narrow...

"[8] Like much of the album from which it came, the song is presented simply, with only Craig Doerge (piano), Russ Kunkel (drums), and Lee Sklar (bass) playing, along with David Crosby's harmony vocals.

Bud Scoppa, in his March 1972 review of the Jackson Browne debut album, stated that "Rock Me..." would make an excellent single and that the song's "lilting gospel-like movement" showed a Van Morrison influence.

"[10] Bruce Springsteen referenced the song in his speech upon the induction of Browne into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 saying: "Listen to the chord changes of 'Rock Me on the Water' and 'Before the Deluge', it's gospel through and through.