"Mother's Daughter" is a women's empowerment anthem that explores the strong bond between a mother and daughter. The lyrics reference the singer's mother telling her she would "make it," inspiring lines like "I put my back into it, my heart in it/So I did it, yeah I did it." The song also features Miley Cyrus describing herself as "nasty and evil," asserting her freedom to live as she chooses with lines such as "Don't f*** with my freedom/I came up to get me some/I'm nasty, I'm evil/Must be something in the water or that I'm my mother's daughter." It's a defiant declaration of self-possession and inherited strength.