diff --git a/stage0/src/Init/Lean/Message.lean b/stage0/src/Init/Lean/Message.lean
index f300e5b1a4..264440e025 100644
--- a/stage0/src/Init/Lean/Message.lean
+++ b/stage0/src/Init/Lean/Message.lean
@@ -131,7 +131,6 @@ mkErrorStringWithPos msg.fileName msg.pos.line msg.pos.column
    | MessageSeverity.error => "error: ") ++
   (if msg.caption == "" then "" else msg.caption ++ ":\n") ++ toString (fmt msg.data))
 
-
 instance : Inhabited Message :=
 ⟨{ fileName := "", pos := ⟨0, 1⟩, data := arbitrary _}⟩
 
diff --git a/stage0/src/library/messages.cpp b/stage0/src/library/messages.cpp
index d2b9184f1c..fd72baee9d 100644
--- a/stage0/src/library/messages.cpp
+++ b/stage0/src/library/messages.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ namespace lean {
 extern "C" object * lean_mk_message(object * filename, object * pos, object * end_pos, uint8 severity,
                                     object * caption, object * text);
 extern "C" uint8 lean_message_severity(object * msg);
+extern "C" object * lean_message_string(object * msg);
 
 message::message(std::string const & filename, pos_info const & pos, optional<pos_info> const & end_pos,
                  message_severity severity, std::string const & caption, std::string const & text) :
@@ -28,6 +29,10 @@ message_severity message::get_severity() const {
     return static_cast<message_severity>(lean_message_severity(to_obj_arg()));
 }
 
+std::string message::get_text() const {
+    return string_ref(lean_message_string(to_obj_arg())).to_std_string();
+}
+
 std::ostream & operator<<(std::ostream & out, message const & msg) {
     if (msg.get_severity() != INFORMATION) {
         out << msg.get_filename() << ":" << msg.get_pos().first << ":" << msg.get_pos().second << ": ";
diff --git a/stage0/src/library/messages.h b/stage0/src/library/messages.h
index c3717bf9ef..856bf39ad1 100644
--- a/stage0/src/library/messages.h
+++ b/stage0/src/library/messages.h
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ public:
     }
     message_severity get_severity() const;
     std::string get_caption() const { return static_cast<string_ref const &>(cnstr_get_ref(*this, 3)).to_std_string(); }
-    std::string get_text() const { return static_cast<string_ref const &>(cnstr_get_ref(*this, 4)).to_std_string(); }
+    std::string get_text() const;
 
     bool is_error() const { return get_severity() >= ERROR; }
 };