diff --git a/core/parser/parser-docs.factor b/core/parser/parser-docs.factor
index d8d6c9b7bc..ae38925c68 100755
--- a/core/parser/parser-docs.factor
+++ b/core/parser/parser-docs.factor
@@ -136,8 +136,6 @@ ARTICLE: "parser-lexer" "The lexer"
 { $subsection <lexer> }
 "A word to test of the end of input has been reached:"
 { $subsection still-parsing? }
-"A word to get the text of the current line:"
-{ $subsection line-text }
 "A word to advance the lexer to the next line:"
 { $subsection next-line }
 "Two generic words to override the lexer's token boundary detection:"
@@ -222,10 +220,6 @@ HELP: <parse-error>
 { $values { "msg" "an error" } { "error" parse-error } }
 { $description "Creates a new " { $link parse-error } ", filling in the location information from the current " { $link lexer } "." } ;
 
-HELP: line-text
-{ $values { "lexer" lexer } { "str" string } }
-{ $description "Outputs the text of the line being parsed." } ;
-
 HELP: skip
 { $values { "i" "a starting index" } { "seq" "a sequence" } { "quot" "a quotation with stack effect " { $snippet "( elt -- ? )" } } { "n" integer } }
 { $description "Variant of " { $link find* } " that outputs the length of the sequence instead of " { $link f } " if no elements satisfy the predicate." } ;
diff --git a/core/parser/parser.factor b/core/parser/parser.factor
index 6d7ad47843..59d18dc734 100755
--- a/core/parser/parser.factor
+++ b/core/parser/parser.factor
@@ -8,12 +8,17 @@ io.files io.streams.string io.streams.lines vocabs
 source-files classes hashtables compiler.errors compiler.units ;
 IN: parser
 
-TUPLE: lexer text line column ;
+TUPLE: lexer text line line-text line-length column ;
 
-: <lexer> ( text -- lexer ) 1 0 lexer construct-boa ;
+: next-line ( lexer -- )
+    0 over set-lexer-column
+    dup lexer-line over lexer-text ?nth over set-lexer-line-text
+    dup lexer-line-text length over set-lexer-line-length
+    dup lexer-line 1+ swap set-lexer-line ;
 
-: line-text ( lexer -- str )
-    dup lexer-line 1- swap lexer-text ?nth ;
+: <lexer> ( text -- lexer )
+    0 { set-lexer-text set-lexer-line } lexer construct
+    dup lexer-text empty? [ dup next-line ] unless ;
 
 : location ( -- loc )
     file get lexer get lexer-line 2dup and
@@ -50,18 +55,14 @@ t parser-notes set-global
         "Note: " write dup print
     ] when drop ;
 
-: next-line ( lexer -- )
-    0 over set-lexer-column
-    dup lexer-line 1+ swap set-lexer-line ;
-
 : skip ( i seq ? -- n )
     over >r
     [ swap CHAR: \s eq? xor ] curry find* drop
-    [ r> drop ] [ r> length ] if* ; inline
+    [ r> drop ] [ r> length ] if* ;
 
 : change-column ( lexer quot -- )
     swap
-    [ dup lexer-column swap line-text rot call ] keep
+    [ dup lexer-column swap lexer-line-text rot call ] keep
     set-lexer-column ; inline
 
 GENERIC: skip-blank ( lexer -- )
@@ -73,20 +74,20 @@ GENERIC: skip-word ( lexer -- )
 
 M: lexer skip-word ( lexer -- )
     [
-        2dup nth CHAR: " = [ drop 1+ ] [ f skip ] if
+        2dup nth CHAR: " eq? [ drop 1+ ] [ f skip ] if
     ] change-column ;
 
 : still-parsing? ( lexer -- ? )
     dup lexer-line swap lexer-text length <= ;
 
 : still-parsing-line? ( lexer -- ? )
-    dup lexer-column swap line-text length < ;
+    dup lexer-column swap lexer-line-length < ;
 
 : (parse-token) ( lexer -- str )
     [ lexer-column ] keep
     [ skip-word ] keep
     [ lexer-column ] keep
-    line-text subseq ;
+    lexer-line-text subseq ;
 
 :  parse-token ( lexer -- str/f )
     dup still-parsing? [
@@ -139,9 +140,8 @@ TUPLE: parse-error file line col text ;
 
 : <parse-error> ( msg -- error )
     file get
-    lexer get lexer-line
-    lexer get lexer-column
-    lexer get line-text
+    lexer get
+    { lexer-line lexer-column lexer-line-text } get-slots
     parse-error construct-boa
     [ set-delegate ] keep ;
 
@@ -239,22 +239,25 @@ M: no-word summary
     word-restarts throw-restarts
     dup word-vocabulary (use+) ;
 
-: check-forward ( str word -- word )
+: check-forward ( str word -- word/f )
     dup forward-reference? [
         drop
-        dup use get
+        use get
         [ at ] with map [ ] subset
         [ forward-reference? not ] find nip
-        [ ] [ no-word ] ?if
     ] [
         nip
     ] if ;
 
-: search ( str -- word )
-    dup use get assoc-stack [ check-forward ] [ no-word ] if* ;
+: search ( str -- word/f )
+    dup use get assoc-stack check-forward ;
 
 : scan-word ( -- word/number/f )
-    scan dup [ dup string>number [ ] [ search ] ?if ] when ;
+    scan dup [
+        dup search [ ] [
+            dup string>number [ ] [ no-word ] ?if
+        ] ?if
+    ] when ;
 
 TUPLE: staging-violation word ;
 
diff --git a/extra/multiline/multiline.factor b/extra/multiline/multiline.factor
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 7f831e5351..9a6d052b60
--- a/extra/multiline/multiline.factor
+++ b/extra/multiline/multiline.factor
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ USING: namespaces parser kernel sequences words quotations math ;
 IN: multiline
 
 : next-line-text ( -- str )
-    lexer get dup next-line line-text ;
+    lexer get dup next-line lexer-line-text ;
 
 : (parse-here) ( -- )
     next-line-text dup ";" =
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ IN: multiline
     parse-here 1quotation define ; parsing
 
 : (parse-multiline-string) ( start-index end-text -- end-index )
-    lexer get line-text 2dup start
+    lexer get lexer-line-text 2dup start
     [ rot dupd >r >r swap subseq % r> r> length + ] [
         rot tail % "\n" % 0
         lexer get next-line swap (parse-multiline-string)