diff --git a/lib/coffee_script/CoffeeScript.tmbundle/Syntaxes/CoffeeScript.tmLanguage b/lib/coffee_script/CoffeeScript.tmbundle/Syntaxes/CoffeeScript.tmLanguage
index 927e017d..990a2368 100644
--- a/lib/coffee_script/CoffeeScript.tmbundle/Syntaxes/CoffeeScript.tmLanguage
+++ b/lib/coffee_script/CoffeeScript.tmbundle/Syntaxes/CoffeeScript.tmLanguage
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@
 		</dict>
 		<dict>
 			<key>match</key>
-			<string>\b(debugger)\b</string>
+			<string>\b(debugger|\\)\b</string>
 			<key>name</key>
 			<string>keyword.other.coffee</string>
 		</dict>
diff --git a/lib/coffee_script/lexer.rb b/lib/coffee_script/lexer.rb
index fcf21618..ed959f84 100644
--- a/lib/coffee_script/lexer.rb
+++ b/lib/coffee_script/lexer.rb
@@ -130,11 +130,13 @@ module CoffeeScript
     # We treat all other single characters as a token. Eg.: ( ) , . !
     # Multi-character operators are also literal tokens, so that Racc can assign
     # the proper order of operations. Multiple newlines get merged together.
+    # Use a trailing \ to escape newlines.
     def literal_token
       value = @chunk[NEWLINE, 1]
       if value
         @line += value.length
-        token("\n", "\n") unless last_value == "\n"
+        token("\n", "\n") unless ["\n", "\\"].include?(last_value)
+        @tokens.pop if last_value == "\\"
         return @i += value.length
       end
       value = @chunk[OPERATOR, 1]
diff --git a/test/fixtures/execution/test_newline_escaping.coffee b/test/fixtures/execution/test_newline_escaping.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2f52e932
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/execution/test_newline_escaping.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+six: \
+  1 + \
+   2 + \
+    3
+
+print(six is 6)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/unit/test_lexer.rb b/test/unit/test_lexer.rb
index 5f8d52d2..0d2ec1b5 100644
--- a/test/unit/test_lexer.rb
+++ b/test/unit/test_lexer.rb
@@ -38,8 +38,14 @@ class LexerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   def test_lexing_comment
     code = "a: 1\n # comment\n # on two lines\nb: 2"
     assert @lex.tokenize(code) == [[:IDENTIFIER, "a"], [:ASSIGN, ":"], [:NUMBER, "1"],
-    ["\n", "\n"], [:COMMENT, [" comment", " on two lines"]], ["\n", "\n"],
-    [:IDENTIFIER, "b"], [:ASSIGN, ":"], [:NUMBER, "2"]]
+      ["\n", "\n"], [:COMMENT, [" comment", " on two lines"]], ["\n", "\n"],
+      [:IDENTIFIER, "b"], [:ASSIGN, ":"], [:NUMBER, "2"]]
+  end
+
+  def test_lexing_newline_escaper
+    code = "two: 1 + \\\n\n 1"
+    assert @lex.tokenize(code) == [[:IDENTIFIER, "two"], [:ASSIGN, ":"],
+      [:NUMBER, "1"], ["+", "+"], [:NUMBER, "1"]]
   end
 
   def test_lexing