diff --git a/vyper/codegen/expr.py b/vyper/codegen/expr.py
index 693d5c2aad..4c7c3afaed 100644
--- a/vyper/codegen/expr.py
+++ b/vyper/codegen/expr.py
@@ -73,19 +73,17 @@ def __init__(self, node, context):
         self.context = context
 
         if isinstance(node, IRnode):
-            # TODO this seems bad
+            # this is a kludge for parse_AugAssign to pass in IRnodes
+            # directly.
+            # TODO fixme!
             self.ir_node = node
             return
 
-        fn = getattr(self, f"parse_{type(node).__name__}", None)
-        if fn is None:
-            raise TypeCheckFailure(f"Invalid statement node: {type(node).__name__}", node)
-
-        with tag_exceptions(node, fallback_exception_type=CodegenPanic):
+        fn_name = f"parse_{type(node).__name__}"
+        with tag_exceptions(node, fallback_exception_type=CodegenPanic, note=fn_name):
+            fn = getattr(self, fn_name)
             self.ir_node = fn()
-
-        if self.ir_node is None:
-            raise TypeCheckFailure(f"{type(node).__name__} node did not produce IR.\n", node)
+            assert isinstance(self.ir_node, IRnode), self.ir_node
 
         self.ir_node.annotation = self.expr.get("node_source_code")
         self.ir_node.source_pos = getpos(self.expr)
@@ -362,9 +360,9 @@ def parse_Subscript(self):
             index = self.expr.slice.value.n
             # note: this check should also happen in get_element_ptr
             if not 0 <= index < len(sub.typ.member_types):
-                return
+                raise TypeCheckFailure("unreachable")
         else:
-            return
+            raise TypeCheckFailure("unreachable")
 
         ir_node = get_element_ptr(sub, index)
         ir_node.mutable = sub.mutable
@@ -399,13 +397,13 @@ def parse_BinOp(self):
             new_typ = left.typ
             if new_typ.bits != 256:
                 # TODO implement me. ["and", 2**bits - 1, shl(right, left)]
-                return
+                raise TypeCheckFailure("unreachable")
             return IRnode.from_list(shl(right, left), typ=new_typ)
         if isinstance(self.expr.op, vy_ast.RShift):
             new_typ = left.typ
             if new_typ.bits != 256:
                 # TODO implement me. promote_signed_int(op(right, left), bits)
-                return
+                raise TypeCheckFailure("unreachable")
             op = shr if not left.typ.is_signed else sar
             return IRnode.from_list(op(right, left), typ=new_typ)
 
@@ -448,7 +446,7 @@ def build_in_comparator(self):
         elif isinstance(self.expr.op, vy_ast.NotIn):
             found, not_found = 0, 1
         else:  # pragma: no cover
-            return
+            raise TypeCheckFailure("unreachable")
 
         i = IRnode.from_list(self.context.fresh_varname("in_ix"), typ=UINT256_T)
 
@@ -510,7 +508,7 @@ def parse_Compare(self):
         right = Expr.parse_value_expr(self.expr.right, self.context)
 
         if right.value is None:
-            return
+            raise TypeCheckFailure("unreachable")
 
         if isinstance(self.expr.op, (vy_ast.In, vy_ast.NotIn)):
             if is_array_like(right.typ):
@@ -562,7 +560,7 @@ def parse_Compare(self):
 
         elif left.typ._is_prim_word and right.typ._is_prim_word:
             if op not in ("eq", "ne"):
-                return
+                raise TypeCheckFailure("unreachable")
         else:
             # kludge to block behavior in #2638
             # TODO actually implement equality for complex types
diff --git a/vyper/codegen/stmt.py b/vyper/codegen/stmt.py
index 18e5c3d494..bc29a79734 100644
--- a/vyper/codegen/stmt.py
+++ b/vyper/codegen/stmt.py
@@ -40,16 +40,14 @@ class Stmt:
     def __init__(self, node: vy_ast.VyperNode, context: Context) -> None:
         self.stmt = node
         self.context = context
-        fn = getattr(self, f"parse_{type(node).__name__}", None)
-        if fn is None:
-            raise TypeCheckFailure(f"Invalid statement node: {type(node).__name__}")
 
-        with context.internal_memory_scope():
-            with tag_exceptions(node, fallback_exception_type=CodegenPanic):
+        fn_name = f"parse_{type(node).__name__}"
+        with tag_exceptions(node, fallback_exception_type=CodegenPanic, note=fn_name):
+            fn = getattr(self, fn_name)
+            with context.internal_memory_scope():
                 self.ir_node = fn()
 
-        if self.ir_node is None:
-            raise TypeCheckFailure("Statement node did not produce IR")
+            assert isinstance(self.ir_node, IRnode), self.ir_node
 
         self.ir_node.annotation = self.stmt.get("node_source_code")
         self.ir_node.source_pos = getpos(self.stmt)
@@ -347,7 +345,7 @@ def parse_AugAssign(self):
             # because of this check, we do not need to check for
             # make_setter references lhs<->rhs as in parse_Assign -
             # single word load/stores are atomic.
-            return
+            raise TypeCheckFailure("unreachable")
 
         with target.cache_when_complex("_loc") as (b, target):
             rhs = Expr.parse_value_expr(
diff --git a/vyper/exceptions.py b/vyper/exceptions.py
index 8921814188..f216069eab 100644
--- a/vyper/exceptions.py
+++ b/vyper/exceptions.py
@@ -359,14 +359,17 @@ class InvalidABIType(VyperInternalException):
 
 
 @contextlib.contextmanager
-def tag_exceptions(
-    node, fallback_exception_type=CompilerPanic, fallback_message="unhandled exception"
-):
+def tag_exceptions(node, fallback_exception_type=CompilerPanic, note=None):
     try:
         yield
     except _BaseVyperException as e:
         if not e.annotations and not e.lineno:
-            raise e.with_annotation(node) from None
+            tb = e.__traceback__
+            raise e.with_annotation(node).with_traceback(tb)
         raise e from None
     except Exception as e:
-        raise fallback_exception_type(fallback_message, node) from e
+        tb = e.__traceback__
+        fallback_message = "unhandled exception"
+        if note:
+            fallback_message += f", {note}"
+        raise fallback_exception_type(fallback_message, node).with_traceback(tb)