diff --git a/src/handlers/graphical.rs b/src/handlers/graphical.rs
index 8c4a9a5..f60f05b 100644
--- a/src/handlers/graphical.rs
+++ b/src/handlers/graphical.rs
@@ -1183,7 +1183,7 @@ impl GraphicalReportHandler {
         &'a self,
         source: &'a dyn SourceCode,
         context_span: &'a SourceSpan,
-    ) -> Result<(Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, Vec<Line>), fmt::Error> {
+    ) -> Result<(Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, Vec<Line>), fmt::Error> {
         let context_data = source
             .read_span(context_span, self.context_lines, self.context_lines)
             .map_err(|_| fmt::Error)?;
diff --git a/src/handlers/narratable.rs b/src/handlers/narratable.rs
index f8d36ae..76a2b81 100644
--- a/src/handlers/narratable.rs
+++ b/src/handlers/narratable.rs
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ impl NarratableReportHandler {
                         .map(|label| {
                             source.read_span(label.inner(), self.context_lines, self.context_lines)
                         })
-                        .collect::<Result<Vec<Box<dyn SpanContents<'_>>>, MietteError>>()
+                        .collect::<Result<Vec<Box<dyn SpanContents>>, MietteError>>()
                         .map_err(|_| fmt::Error)?;
                     let mut contexts = Vec::new();
                     for (right, right_conts) in labels.iter().cloned().zip(contents.iter()) {
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ impl NarratableReportHandler {
         &'a self,
         source: &'a dyn SourceCode,
         context_span: &'a SourceSpan,
-    ) -> Result<(Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, Vec<Line>), fmt::Error> {
+    ) -> Result<(Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, Vec<Line>), fmt::Error> {
         let context_data = source
             .read_span(context_span, self.context_lines, self.context_lines)
             .map_err(|_| fmt::Error)?;
diff --git a/src/highlighters/blank.rs b/src/highlighters/blank.rs
index 50a9c65..8c79a76 100644
--- a/src/highlighters/blank.rs
+++ b/src/highlighters/blank.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ pub struct BlankHighlighter;
 impl Highlighter for BlankHighlighter {
     fn start_highlighter_state<'h>(
         &'h self,
-        _source: &dyn SpanContents<'_>,
+        _source: &(dyn SpanContents + 'h),
     ) -> Box<dyn super::HighlighterState + 'h> {
         Box::new(BlankHighlighterState)
     }
diff --git a/src/highlighters/mod.rs b/src/highlighters/mod.rs
index 0af1aa2..202bcad 100644
--- a/src/highlighters/mod.rs
+++ b/src/highlighters/mod.rs
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ pub trait Highlighter {
     /// responsible for the actual rendering.
     fn start_highlighter_state<'h>(
         &'h self,
-        source: &dyn SpanContents<'_>,
+        source: &(dyn SpanContents + 'h),
     ) -> Box<dyn HighlighterState + 'h>;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/highlighters/syntect.rs b/src/highlighters/syntect.rs
index 538124c..bd4402f 100644
--- a/src/highlighters/syntect.rs
+++ b/src/highlighters/syntect.rs
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ impl Default for SyntectHighlighter {
 impl Highlighter for SyntectHighlighter {
     fn start_highlighter_state<'h>(
         &'h self,
-        source: &dyn SpanContents<'_>,
+        source: &(dyn SpanContents + 'h),
     ) -> Box<dyn HighlighterState + 'h> {
         if let Some(syntax) = self.detect_syntax(source) {
             let highlighter = syntect::Highlighter::new(&self.theme);
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ impl SyntectHighlighter {
     }
 
     /// Determine syntect [`SyntaxReference`] to use for given [`SpanContents`].
-    fn detect_syntax(&self, contents: &dyn SpanContents<'_>) -> Option<&syntect::SyntaxReference> {
+    fn detect_syntax(&self, contents: &dyn SpanContents) -> Option<&syntect::SyntaxReference> {
         // use language if given
         if let Some(language) = contents.language() {
             return self.syntax_set.find_syntax_by_name(language);
diff --git a/src/named_source.rs b/src/named_source.rs
index ea11cd2..0633fb7 100644
--- a/src/named_source.rs
+++ b/src/named_source.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::{MietteError, MietteSpanContents, SourceCode, SpanContents};
+use crate::{MietteError, SourceCode, SpanContents};
 
 /// Utility struct for when you have a regular [`SourceCode`] type that doesn't
 /// implement `name`. For example [`String`]. Or if you want to override the
@@ -51,6 +51,43 @@ impl<S: SourceCode + 'static> NamedSource<S> {
         self
     }
 }
+/// Utility struct used by [`NamedSource`] to attach a file name to an inner [`SpanContents`] value
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct NamedSpanContents<T: ?Sized> {
+    inner: Box<T>,
+    name: Box<str>,
+    language: Option<Box<str>>,
+}
+impl<T: SpanContents + ?Sized> SpanContents for NamedSpanContents<T> {
+    #[inline]
+    fn data(&self) -> &[u8] {
+        self.inner.data()
+    }
+    #[inline]
+    fn span(&self) -> &crate::SourceSpan {
+        self.inner.span()
+    }
+    #[inline]
+    fn line(&self) -> usize {
+        self.inner.line()
+    }
+    #[inline]
+    fn column(&self) -> usize {
+        self.inner.column()
+    }
+    #[inline]
+    fn line_count(&self) -> usize {
+        self.inner.line_count()
+    }
+    #[inline]
+    fn name(&self) -> Option<&str> {
+        Some(&self.name)
+    }
+    #[inline]
+    fn language(&self) -> Option<&str> {
+        self.language.as_deref()
+    }
+}
 
 impl<S: SourceCode + 'static> SourceCode for NamedSource<S> {
     fn read_span<'a>(
@@ -58,21 +95,14 @@ impl<S: SourceCode + 'static> SourceCode for NamedSource<S> {
         span: &crate::SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         let inner_contents =
             self.inner()
                 .read_span(span, context_lines_before, context_lines_after)?;
-        let mut contents = MietteSpanContents::new_named(
-            self.name.clone(),
-            inner_contents.data(),
-            *inner_contents.span(),
-            inner_contents.line(),
-            inner_contents.column(),
-            inner_contents.line_count(),
-        );
-        if let Some(language) = &self.language {
-            contents = contents.with_language(language);
-        }
-        Ok(Box::new(contents))
+        Ok(Box::new(NamedSpanContents {
+            inner: inner_contents,
+            name: self.name.clone().into_boxed_str(),
+            language: self.language.as_ref().map(|v| v.clone().into_boxed_str()),
+        }))
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/protocol.rs b/src/protocol.rs
index 7f09d4d..ee13750 100644
--- a/src/protocol.rs
+++ b/src/protocol.rs
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ pub trait SourceCode: Send + Sync {
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError>;
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError>;
 }
 
 /// A labeled [`SourceSpan`].
@@ -434,9 +434,9 @@ Contents of a [`SourceCode`] covered by [`SourceSpan`].
 
 Includes line and column information to optimize highlight calculations.
 */
-pub trait SpanContents<'a> {
+pub trait SpanContents {
     /// Reference to the data inside the associated span, in bytes.
-    fn data(&self) -> &'a [u8];
+    fn data(&self) -> &[u8];
     /// [`SourceSpan`] representing the span covered by this `SpanContents`.
     fn span(&self) -> &SourceSpan;
     /// An optional (file?) name for the container of this `SpanContents`.
@@ -530,8 +530,8 @@ impl<'a> MietteSpanContents<'a> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<'a> SpanContents<'a> for MietteSpanContents<'a> {
-    fn data(&self) -> &'a [u8] {
+impl<'a> SpanContents for MietteSpanContents<'a> {
+    fn data(&self) -> &[u8] {
         self.data
     }
     fn span(&self) -> &SourceSpan {
diff --git a/src/source_impls.rs b/src/source_impls.rs
index e362b4a..46de5e5 100644
--- a/src/source_impls.rs
+++ b/src/source_impls.rs
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ impl SourceCode for [u8] {
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         let contents = context_info(self, span, context_lines_before, context_lines_after)?;
         Ok(Box::new(contents))
     }
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ impl<'src> SourceCode for &'src [u8] {
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         <[u8] as SourceCode>::read_span(self, span, context_lines_before, context_lines_after)
     }
 }
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ impl SourceCode for Vec<u8> {
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         <[u8] as SourceCode>::read_span(self, span, context_lines_before, context_lines_after)
     }
 }
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ impl SourceCode for str {
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         <[u8] as SourceCode>::read_span(
             self.as_bytes(),
             span,
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ impl<'s> SourceCode for &'s str {
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         <str as SourceCode>::read_span(self, span, context_lines_before, context_lines_after)
     }
 }
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ impl SourceCode for String {
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         <str as SourceCode>::read_span(self, span, context_lines_before, context_lines_after)
     }
 }
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ impl<T: ?Sized + SourceCode> SourceCode for Arc<T> {
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         self.as_ref()
             .read_span(span, context_lines_before, context_lines_after)
     }
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ where
         span: &SourceSpan,
         context_lines_before: usize,
         context_lines_after: usize,
-    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents<'a> + 'a>, MietteError> {
+    ) -> Result<Box<dyn SpanContents + 'a>, MietteError> {
         self.as_ref()
             .read_span(span, context_lines_before, context_lines_after)
     }