The song was confirmed by frontman Till Lindemann and guitarist Richard Kruspe to be a reference to their unhappy childhood relationships with their own mothers.

[citation needed] The lyrics tell the story of a child not born from a womb but in an experiment, thus having no true father or mother.

The video for Mutter follows the story of the song, in which Lindemann portrays a monstrous character who kills his mother and then dumps her body in a river before ending up locked in an underground cage.

Lindemann has a bald head and is clad in rags for this role, but also portrays a well-dressed character with long hair who is seen rowing a boat in a swamp.

The song debuted in its demo form during an April 2000 concert exclusively for members of the official fan club.