[Zope] slow python scripts

I have a few python scripts that are parsing 4000+ record CSV files, and they are DOG slow. They take over 140 seconds to complete (that's an eternity to wait for a web page to load). What's driving me nuts is that the same code, in a straight python file, fires off and completes in under 2 seconds using the same CSV file. How can I speed up the Python script on my server? Are external methods faster? TIA Rick