I don't really agree with the idea that the little 15 impersonates a teenage boy purely because DM uses the collocation "little girl", "little fifteen", like a litarary motif, which apears in many songs like Enjoy the silence ("Can't you undersand, oh my little girl"), Precious ("Precious and fragile things need special handling"), A question of time ("Now you're only fifteen and you look good"), Behind the wheel ("My little girl, drive anywhere") etc..
The way I see it, this is a story about a daughter and her mother. The woman is just a victim of an unfortunate marriage, corrupted by her husband and by the society, which, in this kind of situation usually makes things worse, presuming that once a family is bound, it should never fall apart, no matter how distructible it is for each part involved. This woman is totally demoralised by the things she went through in this bad relationship(" what she's seen/She's not had a life"). The clock in the video could symbolize the hours spent in constantly fightings, her waiting for him to come home, or waiting for him to calm down and go to sleep.
She may have lost her touch with reality, but her only light remains her daughter("And in your smile/She could escape there/Just for a while "), too young to realize what's going on, too pure to be affected("She knows your mind/Is not yet in league/With the rest of the world/And its little intrigues"). She is also aware of the fact that she decaded as a human being, she admires her little fifteen for remaining innocent and wants to protect that innocence. Unconsciously, the woman could envy the teenager for not having to deal with everything and she definitely wishes to be in her skin ("She wants to see with your eyes/She wants to smile with your smile").
The little girl may not understand why is her mother punished, but, as a pure and innocent child, she wishes to save her ("And if you could drive/You could drive her away"). Obviously, her father's character has an impact on her too, and her only chance to protect herself is to be obedient, and she can manage this as long as she has the freedom to dream of better days ("To a happier day/That exists in your mind/And in your smile").
As for the narrator, his main purpose is to comfort the little girl, letting her know that she's not guilty of anything and praising her for showing such strenght at such a small age.
But again, this is just my interpretation.
I don't really agree with the idea that the little 15 impersonates a teenage boy purely because DM uses the collocation "little girl", "little fifteen", like a litarary motif, which apears in many songs like Enjoy the silence ("Can't you undersand, oh my little girl"), Precious ("Precious and fragile things need special handling"), A question of time ("Now you're only fifteen and you look good"), Behind the wheel ("My little girl, drive anywhere") etc.. The way I see it, this is a story about a daughter and her mother. The woman is just a victim of an unfortunate marriage, corrupted by her husband and by the society, which, in this kind of situation usually makes things worse, presuming that once a family is bound, it should never fall apart, no matter how distructible it is for each part involved. This woman is totally demoralised by the things she went through in this bad relationship(" what she's seen/She's not had a life"). The clock in the video could symbolize the hours spent in constantly fightings, her waiting for him to come home, or waiting for him to calm down and go to sleep. She may have lost her touch with reality, but her only light remains her daughter("And in your smile/She could escape there/Just for a while "), too young to realize what's going on, too pure to be affected("She knows your mind/Is not yet in league/With the rest of the world/And its little intrigues"). She is also aware of the fact that she decaded as a human being, she admires her little fifteen for remaining innocent and wants to protect that innocence. Unconsciously, the woman could envy the teenager for not having to deal with everything and she definitely wishes to be in her skin ("She wants to see with your eyes/She wants to smile with your smile"). The little girl may not understand why is her mother punished, but, as a pure and innocent child, she wishes to save her ("And if you could drive/You could drive her away"). Obviously, her father's character has an impact on her too, and her only chance to protect herself is to be obedient, and she can manage this as long as she has the freedom to dream of better days ("To a happier day/That exists in your mind/And in your smile"). As for the narrator, his main purpose is to comfort the little girl, letting her know that she's not guilty of anything and praising her for showing such strenght at such a small age. But again, this is just my interpretation.