That's objdump's default format when outputting relocations together with the disassembly. As you have already found out, the code is compiled with dummy values

That's objdump's default format when outputting relocations together with the disassembly. As you have already found out, the code is compiled with dummy values for the actual addresses being accessed or jumped to, and the reloacation table instructs the linker to overwrite these dummy values with the actual addresses, once they are known. R_X86_64_GOTPCREL is a constant defined in /usr/include/elf.h (I think it's from libbdf, the library dealing with the different file formats binutils understand). #define R_X86_64_GOTPC32 26 /* 32 bit signed pc relative offset to GOT */ Here's another example, with the invocation of objdump: $ cat hackernews.c int doit(int a) { return blah(a); } $ cc -Os -c hackernews.c $ objdump -r -S hackernews.o hackernews.o: file format elf64-x86-64 Disassembly of section .text: 0000000000000000 <doit>: 0: 31 c0 xor %eax,%eax 2: e9 00 00 00 00 jmpq 7 <doit+0x7> 3: R_X86_64_PC32 blah-0x4 on ARM (raspberry pi, the relocation looks a little bit different) $ objdump -r -S hackernews.o hackernews.o: file format elf32-littlearm Disassembly of section .text: 00000000 <doit>: 0: eafffffe b 0 <blah> 0: R_ARM_JUMP24 blah #define R_ARM_JUMP24 29 /* PC relative 24 bit (B, BL<cond>). */ To only see the relocation table, use "objdump --relocs": hackernews.o: file format elf32-littlearm RELOCATION RECORDS FOR [.text]: OFFSET TYPE VALUE 00000000 R_ARM_JUMP24 blah