diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/cache.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/cache.go
index 7438a81b729..6c8cc50e1e2 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/cache.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/cache.go
@@ -25,6 +25,13 @@ type Cache struct {
 	scrSparseSet  []*sparseSet // scratch sparse sets to be re-used.
 	scrSparseMap  []*sparseMap // scratch sparse maps to be re-used.
 	scrPoset      []*poset     // scratch poset to be reused
+	// deadcode contains reusable slices specifically for the deadcode pass.
+	// It gets special treatment because of the frequency with which it is run.
+	deadcode struct {
+		liveOrderStmts []*Value
+		live           []bool
+		q              []*Value
+	}
 
 	ValueToProgAfter []*obj.Prog
 	debugState       debugState
@@ -49,4 +56,18 @@ func (c *Cache) Reset() {
 		xl[i] = nil
 	}
 
+	// liveOrderStmts gets used multiple times during compilation of a function.
+	// We don't know where the high water mark was, so reslice to cap and search.
+	c.deadcode.liveOrderStmts = c.deadcode.liveOrderStmts[:cap(c.deadcode.liveOrderStmts)]
+	no := sort.Search(len(c.deadcode.liveOrderStmts), func(i int) bool { return c.deadcode.liveOrderStmts[i] == nil })
+	xo := c.deadcode.liveOrderStmts[:no]
+	for i := range xo {
+		xo[i] = nil
+	}
+	c.deadcode.q = c.deadcode.q[:cap(c.deadcode.q)]
+	nq := sort.Search(len(c.deadcode.q), func(i int) bool { return c.deadcode.q[i] == nil })
+	xq := c.deadcode.q[:nq]
+	for i := range xq {
+		xq[i] = nil
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/deadcode.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/deadcode.go
index 72cce448ce6..3c0f8f858ac 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/deadcode.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/deadcode.go
@@ -9,9 +9,12 @@ import (
 )
 
 // findlive returns the reachable blocks and live values in f.
+// The caller should call f.retDeadcodeLive(live) when it is done with it.
 func findlive(f *Func) (reachable []bool, live []bool) {
 	reachable = ReachableBlocks(f)
-	live, _ = liveValues(f, reachable)
+	var order []*Value
+	live, order = liveValues(f, reachable)
+	f.retDeadcodeLiveOrderStmts(order)
 	return
 }
 
@@ -48,8 +51,21 @@ func ReachableBlocks(f *Func) []bool {
 // to be statements in reversed data flow order.
 // The second result is used to help conserve statement boundaries for debugging.
 // reachable is a map from block ID to whether the block is reachable.
+// The caller should call f.retDeadcodeLive(live) and f.retDeadcodeLiveOrderStmts(liveOrderStmts)
+// when they are done with the return values.
 func liveValues(f *Func, reachable []bool) (live []bool, liveOrderStmts []*Value) {
-	live = make([]bool, f.NumValues())
+	live = f.newDeadcodeLive()
+	if cap(live) < f.NumValues() {
+		live = make([]bool, f.NumValues())
+	} else {
+		live = live[:f.NumValues()]
+		for i := range live {
+			live[i] = false
+		}
+	}
+
+	liveOrderStmts = f.newDeadcodeLiveOrderStmts()
+	liveOrderStmts = liveOrderStmts[:0]
 
 	// After regalloc, consider all values to be live.
 	// See the comment at the top of regalloc.go and in deadcode for details.
@@ -61,7 +77,8 @@ func liveValues(f *Func, reachable []bool) (live []bool, liveOrderStmts []*Value
 	}
 
 	// Find all live values
-	q := make([]*Value, 0, 64) // stack-like worklist of unscanned values
+	q := f.Cache.deadcode.q[:0]
+	defer func() { f.Cache.deadcode.q = q }()
 
 	// Starting set: all control values of reachable blocks are live.
 	// Calls are live (because callee can observe the memory state).
@@ -163,6 +180,8 @@ func deadcode(f *Func) {
 
 	// Find live values.
 	live, order := liveValues(f, reachable)
+	defer f.retDeadcodeLive(live)
+	defer f.retDeadcodeLiveOrderStmts(order)
 
 	// Remove dead & duplicate entries from namedValues map.
 	s := f.newSparseSet(f.NumValues())
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/func.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/func.go
index 7e7e2042d9d..fe02dd434af 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/func.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/func.go
@@ -153,6 +153,33 @@ func (f *Func) retPoset(po *poset) {
 	f.Cache.scrPoset = append(f.Cache.scrPoset, po)
 }
 
+// newDeadcodeLive returns a slice for the
+// deadcode pass to use to indicate which values are live.
+func (f *Func) newDeadcodeLive() []bool {
+	r := f.Cache.deadcode.live
+	f.Cache.deadcode.live = nil
+	return r
+}
+
+// retDeadcodeLive returns a deadcode live value slice for re-use.
+func (f *Func) retDeadcodeLive(live []bool) {
+	f.Cache.deadcode.live = live
+}
+
+// newDeadcodeLiveOrderStmts returns a slice for the
+// deadcode pass to use to indicate which values
+// need special treatment for statement boundaries.
+func (f *Func) newDeadcodeLiveOrderStmts() []*Value {
+	r := f.Cache.deadcode.liveOrderStmts
+	f.Cache.deadcode.liveOrderStmts = nil
+	return r
+}
+
+// retDeadcodeLiveOrderStmts returns a deadcode liveOrderStmts slice for re-use.
+func (f *Func) retDeadcodeLiveOrderStmts(liveOrderStmts []*Value) {
+	f.Cache.deadcode.liveOrderStmts = liveOrderStmts
+}
+
 // newValue allocates a new Value with the given fields and places it at the end of b.Values.
 func (f *Func) newValue(op Op, t *types.Type, b *Block, pos src.XPos) *Value {
 	var v *Value
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/print.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/print.go
index d66530a3738..58e4c3bbbe2 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/print.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssa/print.go
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ func (p stringFuncPrinter) named(n LocalSlot, vals []*Value) {
 
 func fprintFunc(p funcPrinter, f *Func) {
 	reachable, live := findlive(f)
+	defer f.retDeadcodeLive(live)
 	p.header(f)
 	printed := make([]bool, f.NumValues())
 	for _, b := range f.Blocks {