diff --git a/src/compile/thunk.rs b/src/compile/thunk.rs
index 9143ce6..f48e584 100644
--- a/src/compile/thunk.rs
+++ b/src/compile/thunk.rs
@@ -418,7 +418,6 @@ impl Visit for CompileBody<'_> {
     fn visit_atom(&mut self, atom: &Atom) -> Self::Out {
         let thunk = match atom {
             Atom::Ident(ident) => {
-                let sym = global_sym(ident.to_string());
                 // Small gotcha:
                 // Looking up a name will either result in a local or a global lookup. If it's
                 // a local variable first, then it's determined as a local and that's the end
@@ -427,6 +426,7 @@ impl Visit for CompileBody<'_> {
                 //
                 // This checks to make sure that it's both a local variable and that there's more
                 // than one scope layer.
+                let sym = global_sym(ident.to_string());
                 if let (true, Some(local)) = (self.compile.scope().layers_len() > 1, self.compile.lookup_local(sym)) {
                     // get local
                     Inst::LoadLocal(local).into()