diff --git a/model/labels/labels_dedupelabels.go b/model/labels/labels_dedupelabels.go
index c0d84d02f..0e5bb048b 100644
--- a/model/labels/labels_dedupelabels.go
+++ b/model/labels/labels_dedupelabels.go
@@ -113,7 +113,10 @@ func decodeVarint(data string, index int) (int, int) {
 	if b < 0x8000 {
 		return b, index
 	}
+	return decodeVarintRest(b, data, index)
+}
 
+func decodeVarintRest(b int, data string, index int) (int, int) {
 	value := int(b & 0x7FFF)
 	b = int(data[index])
 	index++
@@ -128,8 +131,12 @@ func decodeVarint(data string, index int) (int, int) {
 }
 
 func decodeString(t *nameTable, data string, index int) (string, int) {
-	var num int
-	num, index = decodeVarint(data, index)
+	// Copy decodeVarint here, because the Go compiler says it's too big to inline.
+	num := int(data[index]) + int(data[index+1])<<8
+	index += 2
+	if num >= 0x8000 {
+		num, index = decodeVarintRest(num, data, index)
+	}
 	return t.ToName(num), index
 }
 
@@ -323,7 +330,12 @@ func (ls Labels) Get(name string) string {
 		} else if lName[0] > name[0] { // Stop looking if we've gone past.
 			break
 		}
-		_, i = decodeVarint(ls.data, i)
+		// Copy decodeVarint here, because the Go compiler says it's too big to inline.
+		num := int(ls.data[i]) + int(ls.data[i+1])<<8
+		i += 2
+		if num >= 0x8000 {
+			_, i = decodeVarintRest(num, ls.data, i)
+		}
 	}
 	return ""
 }
@@ -341,7 +353,12 @@ func (ls Labels) Has(name string) bool {
 		} else if lName[0] > name[0] { // Stop looking if we've gone past.
 			break
 		}
-		_, i = decodeVarint(ls.data, i)
+		// Copy decodeVarint here, because the Go compiler says it's too big to inline.
+		num := int(ls.data[i]) + int(ls.data[i+1])<<8
+		i += 2
+		if num >= 0x8000 {
+			_, i = decodeVarintRest(num, ls.data, i)
+		}
 	}
 	return false
 }