diff --git a/src/render_context.cpp b/src/render_context.cpp
index 60a8ea7..6036ece 100644
--- a/src/render_context.cpp
+++ b/src/render_context.cpp
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ void render_context::tokenize(const std::string& t, std::vector<token>& toks) {
     unsigned int del_pos = 0;
     bool ws_only = true;
     for (std::string::const_iterator it = t.begin(); it != t.end(); ++it) {
-        if(pstate == parse_state::start) {
-            if(*it == delim_start[0]) {
+        if (pstate == parse_state::start) {
+            if (*it == delim_start[0]) {
                 pstate = parse_state::in_del_start;
                 tok_end = it;
                 del_pos = 1;
@@ -96,7 +96,8 @@ void render_context::tokenize(const std::string& t, std::vector<token>& toks) {
             if (*it == delim_end[del_pos] && ++del_pos == delim_end.size()) {
                 pstate = parse_state::start;
                 toks.push_back({false, false, ws_only, {tok_start, tok_end}});
-                toks.push_back({true, false, false, {tok_end, it + 1}});
+                toks.push_back({true, false, false,
+                      {tok_end +delim_start.size(), it - delim_end.size() +1}});
                 ws_only = true;
                 tok_start = it + 1;
             } else {
@@ -110,15 +111,15 @@ void render_context::tokenize(const std::string& t, std::vector<token>& toks) {
 void render_context::strip_whitespace(std::vector<token>& tokens) {
     auto line_begin = tokens.begin();
     bool has_tag = false, non_space = false;
-    for(auto it = tokens.begin(); it != tokens.end(); ++it) {
+    for (auto it = tokens.begin(); it != tokens.end(); ++it) {
         auto type = (*it).token_type();
-        if(type != token::type::text && type != token::type::variable &&
+        if (type != token::type::text && type != token::type::variable &&
                 type != token::type::unescaped_variable)
             has_tag = true;
-        else if(!(*it).is_ws_only())
+        else if (!(*it).is_ws_only())
             non_space = true;
-        if((*it).is_eol()) {
-            if(has_tag && !non_space)
+        if ((*it).is_eol()) {
+            if (has_tag && !non_space)
                 for (auto line_it = line_begin; line_it != it + 1; ++line_it)
                     if ((*line_it).is_ws_only())
                         (*line_it).mark();
@@ -126,7 +127,7 @@ void render_context::strip_whitespace(std::vector<token>& tokens) {
             line_begin = it + 1;
         }
     }
-    for(auto it = tokens.begin(); it != tokens.end();)
+    for (auto it = tokens.begin(); it != tokens.end();)
         ((*it).is_marked())?(it = tokens.erase(it)):(++it);
 }
 
@@ -139,7 +140,7 @@ std::string render_context::render(const std::string& tmplt) {
 
 std::string render_context::render(const std::vector<token>& tokens) {
     std::string output;
-    for(auto& token: tokens)
+    for (auto& token: tokens)
         output += state.top()->render(*this, token);
     return output;
 }
diff --git a/src/state/in_section.cpp b/src/state/in_section.cpp
index d86b5ae..12af20a 100644
--- a/src/state/in_section.cpp
+++ b/src/state/in_section.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ std::string state::in_section::render(render_context& ctx, const token& token) {
     switch(token.token_type()) {
     case token::type::section_close:
         if(token.content() == section_name && skipped_openings == 0) {
-            auto section_node = ctx.get_node(section_name);
+            auto& section_node = ctx.get_node(section_name);
             std::string out;
             if (!boost::apply_visitor(visitor::is_node_empty(), section_node))
                 out = boost::apply_visitor(
diff --git a/src/state/outside_section.cpp b/src/state/outside_section.cpp
index 31f2780..7d51084 100644
--- a/src/state/outside_section.cpp
+++ b/src/state/outside_section.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ std::string state::outside_section::render(
     }
     case token::type::comment: break;
     case token::type::text:
-        return token.raw();
+        return token.content();
     case token::type::partial:
         return ctx.render_partial(token.content());
     case token::type::section_close: break;
diff --git a/src/token.cpp b/src/token.cpp
index cb6f974..409369d 100644
--- a/src/token.cpp
+++ b/src/token.cpp
@@ -1,36 +1,48 @@
 #include "token.hpp"
-#include <boost/algorithm/string/trim.hpp>
-#include <boost/algorithm/string/predicate.hpp>
 
 using namespace mstch;
 
-std::tuple<int,int,token::type> token::token_info(const std::string& inside) {
-    switch (inside.at(0)) {
-    case '>': return std::make_tuple(1, 0, type::partial);
-    case '^': return std::make_tuple(1, 0, type::inverted_section_open);
-    case '/': return std::make_tuple(1, 0, type::section_close);
-    case '&': return std::make_tuple(1, 0, type::unescaped_variable);
-    case '#': return std::make_tuple(1, 0, type::section_open);
-    case '!': return std::make_tuple(1, 0, type::comment);
-    case '{':
-        if (inside.at(inside.size() - 1) == '}')
-            return std::make_tuple(1, 1, type::unescaped_variable);
-    default: return std::make_tuple(0, 0, type::variable);
+token::type token::token_info(char c) {
+    switch (c) {
+    case '>': return type::partial;
+    case '^': return type::inverted_section_open;
+    case '/': return type::section_close;
+    case '&': return type::unescaped_variable;
+    case '#': return type::section_open;
+    case '!': return type::comment;
+    default: return type::variable;
     }
 }
 
 token::token(bool is_tag, bool eol, bool ws_only, const std::string& raw_val):
-        raw_val(raw_val), eol(eol), ws_only(ws_only), marked(false)
+        eol(eol), ws_only(ws_only), marked(false)
 {
     if(is_tag) {
-        std::string inside{raw_val.substr(2, raw_val.size() - 4)};
-        boost::trim(inside);
-        if (inside.size() > 0) {
-            int lpad, rpad;
-            std::tie(lpad, rpad, type_val) = token_info(inside);
-            content_val = inside.substr(lpad, inside.size() - lpad - rpad);
-            boost::trim(content_val);
+        auto content_begin = raw_val.begin(), content_end = raw_val.end();
+        parse_state state = parse_state::prews;
+        if(*content_begin == '{' && *(content_end - 1) == '}') {
+            state = parse_state::postws;
+            type_val = type::unescaped_variable;
+            ++content_begin;
+            --content_end;
         }
+        for(auto it = content_begin; it != content_end;) {
+            if(state == parse_state::prews && *it != ' ') {
+                state = parse_state::postws;
+                if((type_val = token_info(*it++)) == type::variable) {
+                    state = parse_state::content;
+                    content_begin = it -1;
+                }
+            } else if(state == parse_state::postws && *it != ' ') {
+                content_begin = it++;
+                state = parse_state::content;
+            } else if(state == parse_state::content && *it == ' ') {
+                content_end = it;
+            } else {
+                ++it;
+            }
+        }
+        content_val = {content_begin, content_end};
     } else {
         type_val = type::text;
         content_val = raw_val;
diff --git a/src/token.hpp b/src/token.hpp
index 2e3e6a5..2e5bdd1 100644
--- a/src/token.hpp
+++ b/src/token.hpp
@@ -13,19 +13,18 @@ namespace mstch {
         token(bool is_tag, bool eol, bool ws_only, const std::string& raw_val);
         type token_type() const { return type_val; };
         const std::string& content() const { return content_val; };
-        const std::string& raw() const { return raw_val; };
         bool is_eol() const { return eol; }
         bool is_ws_only() const { return ws_only; }
         bool is_marked() const { return marked; }
         void mark() { marked = true; };
     private:
+        enum class parse_state { prews, postws, content };
         type type_val;
         std::string content_val;
-        std::string raw_val;
         bool eol;
         bool ws_only;
         bool marked;
-        std::tuple<int,int,type> token_info(const std::string& inside);
+        type token_info(char c);
     };
 }