SWEENEY TODD lyric question

LOVETT:
Lawyer's rather nice.
TODD:
If it's for a price.
LOVETT:
Order something else, though, to follow,
Since no one should swallow it twice!

Is the lyric "since no one should swallow it twice" a joke referring to lawyers? Could someone explain the joke? This is one I don't get.

Updated On: 10/27/20 at 09:17 PM

justoldbill said: "This is why Sondheim says lyrics are not poetry. It's a joke, to be appreciated, and let go of for the next one."



I don't think anyone was trying to deeply analyze the lyric as if it were poetry. I think they simply meant they don't get the joke, which is fair. I'm not sure I fully get it either.