diff --git a/tests/sh.test b/tests/sh.test
index 9f7a762c..d13acd83 100644
--- a/tests/sh.test
+++ b/tests/sh.test
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ testing "trailing \\ in ''" "$SH -c \$'echo \\'one\\\\\\ntwo\\''" \
 testing 'trailing \ in ""' "$SH -c \$'echo \"one\\\\\\ntwo\"'" 'onetwo\n' \
   '' ''
 testing 'vanishing \' "$SH -c \$'echo \\\\\\n a'" 'a\n' '' ''
+testing 'command\ arg' "$SH -c \$'echo\\\\\\n  abc'" 'abc\n' '' ''
 testing "exec3" '$C -c "{ exec readlink /proc/self/fd/0;} < /proc/self/exe"' \
   "$(readlink -f $C)\n" "" ""
 testing 'arg shift' "$SH -c '"'for i in "" 2 1 1 1; do echo $? $1; shift $i; done'"' one two three four five" \
@@ -237,7 +238,7 @@ testing 'hidden wildcards' \
 testing "backtick1" 'x=fred; echo `echo $x`' 'fred\n' "" ""
 testing "backtick2" 'x=fred; echo `x=y; echo $x`; echo $x' 'y\nfred\n' "" ""
 testing '$(( ) )' 'echo ab$((echo hello) | tr e x)cd' "abhxllocd\n" "" ""
-((++SKIP)); testing '$((x=y)) lifetime' 'a=boing; echo $a $a$((a=4))$a $a' 'boing boing44 4\n' '' ''
+testing '$((x=y)) lifetime' 'a=boing; echo $a $a$((a=4))$a $a' 'boing boing44 4\n' '' ''
 
 testing 'quote' "echo \"'\"" "'\n" "" ""
 
diff --git a/toys/pending/sh.c b/toys/pending/sh.c
index 2f1a510e..1dd1e0fd 100644
--- a/toys/pending/sh.c
+++ b/toys/pending/sh.c
@@ -1132,7 +1132,7 @@ static char *parse_word(char *start, int early)
       } else if (*end=='(' && strchr("?*+@!", ii)) toybuf[quote++] = ')';
       else {
         if (ii!='\\') end--;
-        else if (!end[*end=='\n']) return *end ? 0 : end;
+        else if (!end[*end=='\n']) return (*end && !early) ? 0 : end;
         if (early && !quote) return end;
       }
       end++;
@@ -1884,6 +1884,7 @@ static int expand_arg_nobrace(struct sh_arg *arg, char *str, unsigned flags,
         if (*ss != '<') ss = 0;
         else {
           while (isspace(*++ss));
+          // Can't return NULL because guaranteed ) context end
           if (!(ll = parse_word(ss, 0)-ss)) ss = 0;
           else {
             jj = ll+(ss-s);
@@ -2297,7 +2298,7 @@ static int expand_arg(struct sh_arg *arg, char *old, unsigned flags,
   // collect brace spans
   if ((TT.options&OPT_B) && !(flags&NO_BRACE)) for (i = 0; ; i++) {
     // skip quoted/escaped text
-    while ((s = parse_word(old+i, 1)) != old+i && s) i += s-(old+i);
+    while ((s = parse_word(old+i, 1)) != old+i) i += s-(old+i);
 
     // start a new span
     if (old[i] == '{') {