diff --git a/lib/jison.js b/lib/jison.js
index 2efb018d1..798c40412 100644
--- a/lib/jison.js
+++ b/lib/jison.js
@@ -1087,7 +1087,7 @@ parser.parse = function parse (input) {
                 shifts++;
 
                 stack.push(symbol);
-                vstack.push(null); // semantic values or junk only, no terminals
+                vstack.push(this.lexer.yytext); // semantic values or junk only, no terminals
                 stack.push(a[1]); // push state
                 if (!preErrorSymbol) { // normal execution/no error
                     yyleng = this.lexer.yyleng;
diff --git a/tests/parser/actions.js b/tests/parser/actions.js
index f6997e58c..e671f02b7 100644
--- a/tests/parser/actions.js
+++ b/tests/parser/actions.js
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ exports["test return null"] = function() {
     assert.equal(parser.parse('x'), null, "semantic action");
 };
 
-exports["test terminal semantic values are null"] = function() {
+exports["test terminal semantic values are not null"] = function() {
     var lexData = {
         rules: [
            ["x", "return 'x';"],
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ exports["test terminal semantic values are null"] = function() {
     };
     var grammar = {
         bnf: {
-            "E"   :[ ["E x", "return [$2 === null]"],
+            "E"   :[ ["E x", "return [$2 === 'x']"],
                      ["E y", "return [$2]"],
                      "" ]
         }
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ exports["test terminal semantic values are null"] = function() {
     parser.lexer = new RegExpLexer(lexData);
 
     assert.deepEqual(parser.parse('x'), [true], "semantic action");
-    assert.deepEqual(parser.parse('y'), [null], "semantic action");
+    assert.deepEqual(parser.parse('y'), ['y'], "semantic action");
 };
 
 exports["test Semantic action stack lookup"] = function() {