15 is the 15th track of Manson’s 7th studio album, The High End of Low. The lyrics are quite literal, speaking of an aggression or grudge against the narrator, that left him almost dead, but that ultimately leads him to be reborn with a new resolve, not so passive and not so nice. This can be seen as a literal reinvention of the artist, as since the end of the Antichrist Triptych Manson went on a more gothic, depressing and unsuccesful path with the “Golden Age of Grotesque”, “Eat me, Drink me” and “High End of Low” albuns. His next album marked the beginning of his second rise, entitled “Born Villain”, and in his last album, “The Pale Emperor” we hear him say “I’m aggressive-aggressive; The past is over; Now passive seems so pathetic” which links it to the themes in the albuns prior to Born Villain.
The number 15 is very symbolic to Manson and many connections have been theorized by fans and some confirmed by the artist: he was born on january fifth, 1/5; this song was written on his 40th birthday; he lost his virginity with 15 years old; 15 is the number of the Devil card in tarot; it corresponds to the albuns release date; it corresponds to the number 6, etc.