diff --git a/tools/as7 b/tools/as7
index 943121b..e9ecdda 100755
--- a/tools/as7
+++ b/tools/as7
@@ -298,14 +298,14 @@ sub process_label {
 # (: and ; can appear in char literals)
 # handles multiple ';' separated words per line
 sub parse_line {
-    # Lose any leading whitespace
-    $line =~ s{^\s*}{};
-
     while (1) {
 	$line_error = ' ';	# clear listing error indicator
 
 	return if ($line eq '' || $line =~ m{^"}); # empty or comment: quit
 
+	# Lose any leading whitespace
+	$line =~ s{^\s*}{};
+
 	print "parse_line: '$line'\n" if ($debug);
 
 	while ($line =~ s{^([a-z0-9\.]+):\s*}{}) { # labels