Is there more to this than I'm getting (Sweeney Todd lyric question)

[Badtz Maru]

There's a few lines in the song "A Little Priest" that have me puzzled...

TODD:
Is that squire,
On the fire?
LOVETT:
Mercy no, sir, look closer,
You'll notice it's grocer!
TODD:
Looks thicker,
More like vicar!
LOVETT:
No, it has to be grocer --
It's green!

Now, I've heard the term "greengrocer" used before, is that all there is to the "It's green!" line? There's such an emphasis on that ilne I think there must be more than that.

[danceswithcats]

Since this is a query about musical lyrics, you're more likely to get help over in The Guggenheim. I'll ship it off.

[Badtz Maru]

Since this is a query about musical lyrics, you're more likely to get help over in The Guggenheim. I'll ship it off.

I considered that, but I thought it was really more about if there is a reason why grocers would be green, other than a play on the word "greengrocer", i.e. if grocers traditionally wore green at some point in history.

[Diana]

Now, I've heard the term "greengrocer" used before, is that all there is to the "It's green!" line? There's such an emphasis on that ilne I think there must be more than that.

Nope, I think that's pretty much it. Of course, someone may be along presently to correct me.

[jayjay]

There's a few lines in the song "A Little Priest" that have me puzzled...

Now, I've heard the term "greengrocer" used before, is that all there is to the "It's green!" line? There's such an emphasis on that ilne I think there must be more than that.

Here's my take. First of all, they don't actually have any real pies with people in them yet. The whole song is joking...macabre joking, but still joking. So what they're saying is that the (hypothetical) pie in question must be grocer, because the meat is green (as in bad/moldy/nasty). So there is...not so much a double-layer to the joke as a layer-and-a-half.

I have to say that "A Little Priest" is probably my favorite song in the musical. It's a macabre but light little interlude right before the play descends into the depths of deep darkness.

[Badtz Maru]

There's a few lines in the song "A Little Priest" that have me puzzled...

Now, I've heard the term "greengrocer" used before, is that all there is to the "It's green!" line? There's such an emphasis on that ilne I think there must be more than that.

Here's my take. First of all, they don't actually have any real pies with people in them yet. The whole song is joking...macabre joking, but still joking. So what they're saying is that the (hypothetical) pie in question must be grocer, because the meat is green (as in bad/moldy/nasty). So there is...not so much a double-layer to the joke as a layer-and-a-half.

I have to say that "A Little Priest" is probably my favorite song in the musical. It's a macabre but light little interlude right before the play descends into the depths of deep darkness.

That's a good interpretation, and I may have been thrown off of it because of the way the song is performed in the film (I have only seen excerpts from the stage production on youtube). In the movie, they are looking out a window at the people walking around on the street. It would have made a lot more sense if they were looking at pies.

[jayjay]

That's a good interpretation, and I may have been thrown off of it because of the way the song is performed in the film (I have only seen excerpts from the stage production on youtube). In the movie, they are looking out a window at the people walking around on the street. It would have made a lot more sense if they were looking at pies.

I would suggest that you go on to YouTube and search for "A Little Priest". Watch a video of the Lansbury/Hearn version. If the movie song only has what was shown in the "leaked" video for it, it's missing a lot of interplay and wordplay (typical of a Sondheim lyric)...the video of the movie version I saw cut out an entertaining section in the middle where Lovett and Todd are kind of challenging each other to come up with appropriate commentary for various occupations.