diff --git a/core/strings/parser/parser-tests.factor b/core/strings/parser/parser-tests.factor
index 80f649c204..c7ce142269 100644
--- a/core/strings/parser/parser-tests.factor
+++ b/core/strings/parser/parser-tests.factor
@@ -1,4 +1,14 @@
-IN: strings.parser.tests
 USING: strings.parser tools.test ;
+IN: strings.parser.tests
 
 [ "Hello\n\rworld" ] [ "Hello\\n\\rworld" unescape-string ] unit-test
+
+[ "Hello\n\rworld" ] [ "Hello\n\rworld" ] unit-test
+[ "Hello\n\rworld" ] [ """Hello\n\rworld""" ] unit-test
+[ "Hello\n\rworld\n" ] [ "Hello\n\rworld
+" ] unit-test
+[ "Hello\n\rworld" "hi" ] [ "Hello\n\rworld" "hi" ] unit-test
+[ "Hello\n\rworld" "hi" ] [ """Hello\n\rworld""" """hi""" ] unit-test
+[ "Hello\n\rworld\n" "hi" ] [ """Hello\n\rworld
+""" """hi""" ] unit-test
+[ "Hello\n\rworld\"" "hi" ] [ """Hello\n\rworld\"""" """hi""" ] unit-test
diff --git a/core/strings/parser/parser.factor b/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
index c6e58f659a..22b84c830e 100644
--- a/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
+++ b/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-! Copyright (C) 2008 Slava Pestov.
+! Copyright (C) 2008, 2009 Slava Pestov, Doug Coleman.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
-USING: kernel assocs namespaces make splitting sequences
-strings math.parser lexer accessors ;
+USING: accessors assocs kernel lexer make math math.parser
+namespaces parser sequences splitting strings arrays ;
 IN: strings.parser
 
 ERROR: bad-escape ;
@@ -42,6 +42,18 @@ name>char-hook [
         unclip-slice escape swap
     ] if ;
 
+: (unescape-string) ( str -- )
+    CHAR: \\ over index dup [
+        cut-slice [ % ] dip rest-slice
+        next-escape [ , ] dip
+        (unescape-string)
+    ] [
+        drop %
+    ] if ;
+
+: unescape-string ( str -- str' )
+    [ (unescape-string) ] "" make ;
+
 : (parse-string) ( str -- m )
     dup [ "\"\\" member? ] find dup [
         [ cut-slice [ % ] dip rest-slice ] dip
@@ -59,14 +71,79 @@ name>char-hook [
         [ swap tail-slice (parse-string) ] "" make swap
     ] change-lexer-column ;
 
-: (unescape-string) ( str -- )
-    CHAR: \\ over index dup [
-        cut-slice [ % ] dip rest-slice
-        next-escape [ , ] dip
-        (unescape-string)
+<PRIVATE
+
+: lexer-advance ( i -- before )
+    [
+        [
+            lexer get
+            [ column>> ] [ line-text>> ] bi
+        ] dip swap subseq
     ] [
-        drop %
+        lexer get (>>column)
+    ] bi ;
+
+: find-next-token ( ch -- i elt )
+    CHAR: \ 2array
+    [ lexer get [ column>> ] [ line-text>> ] bi ] dip
+    [ member? ] curry find-from ;
+
+: rest-of-line ( -- seq )
+    lexer get [ line-text>> ] [ column>> ] bi tail-slice ;
+
+: parse-escape ( i -- )
+    lexer-advance % CHAR: \ ,
+    lexer get
+    [ [ 2 + ] change-column drop ]
+    [ [ column>> 1 - ] [ line-text>> ] bi nth , ] bi ;
+
+: next-string-line ( obj -- )
+    drop rest-of-line %
+    lexer get next-line "\n" % ;
+
+: rest-begins? ( string -- ? )
+    [
+        lexer get [ line-text>> ] [ column>> ] bi tail-slice
+    ] dip head? ;
+
+DEFER: (parse-long-string)
+
+: parse-rest-of-line ( string i token -- )
+    CHAR: \ = [
+        parse-escape (parse-long-string)
+    ] [
+        lexer-advance %
+        dup rest-begins? [
+            [ lexer get ] dip length [ + ] curry change-column drop
+        ] [
+            rest-of-line %
+            lexer get next-line "\n" % (parse-long-string)
+        ] if
     ] if ;
 
-: unescape-string ( str -- str' )
-    [ (unescape-string) ] "" make ;
+: parse-til-separator ( string -- )
+    dup first find-next-token [
+        parse-rest-of-line
+    ] [
+        next-string-line (parse-long-string)
+    ] if* ;
+
+: (parse-long-string) ( string -- )
+    lexer get still-parsing? [
+        parse-til-separator
+    ] [
+        unexpected-eof
+    ] if ;
+
+PRIVATE>
+
+: parse-long-string ( string -- string' )
+    [ (parse-long-string) ] "" make unescape-string ;
+
+: parse-multiline-string ( -- string )
+    rest-of-line "\"\"" head? [
+        lexer get [ 2 + ] change-column drop
+        "\"\"\"" parse-long-string
+    ] [
+        "\"" parse-long-string
+    ] if ;
diff --git a/core/strings/strings.factor b/core/strings/strings.factor
index 8ab0409318..18af08b3f6 100644
--- a/core/strings/strings.factor
+++ b/core/strings/strings.factor
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ PRIVATE>
 
 M: string equal?
     over string? [
-        over hashcode over hashcode eq?
+        2dup [ hashcode ] bi@ eq?
         [ sequence= ] [ 2drop f ] if
     ] [
         2drop f
diff --git a/core/syntax/syntax-docs.factor b/core/syntax/syntax-docs.factor
index e34fb0957f..551cc76c0e 100644
--- a/core/syntax/syntax-docs.factor
+++ b/core/syntax/syntax-docs.factor
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ HELP: CHAR:
 HELP: "
 { $syntax "\"string...\"" }
 { $values { "string" "literal and escaped characters" } }
-{ $description "Reads from the input string until the next occurrence of " { $link POSTPONE: " } ", and appends the resulting string to the parse tree. String literals cannot span multiple lines. Strings containing the " { $link POSTPONE: " } " character and various other special characters can be read by inserting " { $link "escape" } "." }
+{ $description "Reads from the input string until the next occurrence of " { $link POSTPONE: " } ", and appends the resulting string to the parse tree. String literals can span multiple lines. Strings containing the " { $link POSTPONE: " } " character and various other special characters can be read by inserting " { $link "escape" } "." }
 { $examples
   "A string with a newline in it:"
   { $example "USE: io" "\"Hello\\nworld\" print" "Hello\nworld" }
diff --git a/core/syntax/syntax.factor b/core/syntax/syntax.factor
index 16645e3342..80c7a42f30 100644
--- a/core/syntax/syntax.factor
+++ b/core/syntax/syntax.factor
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ IN: bootstrap.syntax
         } cond parsed
     ] define-core-syntax
 
-    "\"" [ parse-string parsed ] define-core-syntax
+    "\"" [ parse-multiline-string parsed ] define-core-syntax
 
     "SBUF\"" [
         lexer get skip-blank parse-string >sbuf parsed