diff --git a/include/natalie.hpp b/include/natalie.hpp
index 2626f01fc..a36aedafe 100644
--- a/include/natalie.hpp
+++ b/include/natalie.hpp
@@ -171,8 +171,6 @@ std::pair<Value, Value> coerce(Env *, Value, Value, CoerceInvalidReturnValueMode
 Block *to_block(Env *, Value);
 inline Block *to_block(Env *, Block *block) { return block; }
 
-Value shell_backticks(Env *, Value);
-
 FILE *popen2(const char *, const char *, pid_t &);
 int pclose2(FILE *, pid_t);
 
diff --git a/src/kernel_module.cpp b/src/kernel_module.cpp
index 720205f43..29539120d 100644
--- a/src/kernel_module.cpp
+++ b/src/kernel_module.cpp
@@ -52,7 +52,27 @@ Value KernelModule::at_exit(Env *env, Block *block) {
 }
 
 Value KernelModule::backtick(Env *env, Value command) {
-    return shell_backticks(env, command->to_str(env));
+    constexpr size_t NAT_SHELL_READ_BYTES = 1024;
+    pid_t pid;
+    auto process = popen2(command->to_str(env)->c_str(), "r", pid);
+    if (!process)
+        env->raise_errno();
+    char buf[NAT_SHELL_READ_BYTES];
+    auto result = fgets(buf, NAT_SHELL_READ_BYTES, process);
+    StringObject *out;
+    if (result) {
+        out = new StringObject { buf };
+        while (1) {
+            result = fgets(buf, NAT_SHELL_READ_BYTES, process);
+            if (!result) break;
+            out->append(buf);
+        }
+    } else {
+        out = new StringObject {};
+    }
+    int status = pclose2(process, pid);
+    set_status_object(env, pid, status);
+    return out;
 }
 
 Value KernelModule::binding(Env *env) {
diff --git a/src/natalie.cpp b/src/natalie.cpp
index a3393149d..5fff8c48a 100644
--- a/src/natalie.cpp
+++ b/src/natalie.cpp
@@ -740,32 +740,6 @@ Block *to_block(Env *env, Value proc_or_nil) {
     return proc_or_nil->to_proc(env)->block();
 }
 
-#define NAT_SHELL_READ_BYTES 1024
-
-Value shell_backticks(Env *env, Value command) {
-    command->assert_type(env, Object::Type::String, "String");
-    pid_t pid;
-    auto process = popen2(command->as_string()->c_str(), "r", pid);
-    if (!process)
-        env->raise_errno();
-    char buf[NAT_SHELL_READ_BYTES];
-    auto result = fgets(buf, NAT_SHELL_READ_BYTES, process);
-    StringObject *out;
-    if (result) {
-        out = new StringObject { buf };
-        while (1) {
-            result = fgets(buf, NAT_SHELL_READ_BYTES, process);
-            if (!result) break;
-            out->append(buf);
-        }
-    } else {
-        out = new StringObject {};
-    }
-    int status = pclose2(process, pid);
-    set_status_object(env, pid, status);
-    return out;
-}
-
 // https://stackoverflow.com/a/26852210/197498
 FILE *popen2(const char *command, const char *type, pid_t &pid) {
     pid_t child_pid;