diff --git a/src/token/LeftParenthesis.java b/src/token/LeftParenthesis.java
index b3fc350..1f27542 100644
--- a/src/token/LeftParenthesis.java
+++ b/src/token/LeftParenthesis.java
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ public class LeftParenthesis extends Token {
     public SExpression parseSExpression(Supplier<Token> getNextToken) {
         Token nextToken = getNextToken.get();
 
-        return nextToken.parseSExpressionTail(getNextToken);
+        return nextToken.parseListTail(getNextToken).invoke();
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/token/RightParenthesis.java b/src/token/RightParenthesis.java
index 8c15054..e76b9d6 100644
--- a/src/token/RightParenthesis.java
+++ b/src/token/RightParenthesis.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package token;
 
 import static recursion.TailCalls.done;
+import static sexpression.Nil.NIL;
 
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
 
@@ -22,8 +23,13 @@ public class RightParenthesis extends Token {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public TailCall<Cons> parseListBackwards(Cons accumulator, Supplier<Token> getNextToken) {
-        return done(accumulator);
+    protected TailCall<Cons> parseListTail(Supplier<Token> getNextToken) {
+        return done(NIL);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    protected TailCall<Cons> parseListTailRecursive(Cons start, Cons end, Supplier<Token> getNextToken) {
+        return done(start);
     }
 
     public static class StartsWithRightParenthesisException extends LineColumnException {
diff --git a/src/token/Token.java b/src/token/Token.java
index 2eb9aa0..14e479f 100644
--- a/src/token/Token.java
+++ b/src/token/Token.java
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 package token;
 
-import static recursion.TailCalls.done;
 import static recursion.TailCalls.tailCall;
 import static sexpression.Nil.NIL;
 
@@ -31,36 +30,27 @@ public abstract class Token {
 
     // --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     // s-expression
-    // ::= NUMBER | IDENTIFIER | STRING | QUOTE_MARK s-expression | LEFT_PAREN s-expression-tail
+    // ::= NUMBER | IDENTIFIER | STRING | QUOTE_MARK s-expression | LEFT_PAREN list-tail
     //
-    // s-expression-tail
-    // ::= RIGHT_PAREN | s-expression s-expression-tail
+    // list-tail
+    // ::= RIGHT_PAREN | s-expression list-tail
     // --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     public abstract SExpression parseSExpression(Supplier<Token> getNextToken);
 
-    public SExpression parseSExpressionTail(Supplier<Token> getNextToken) {
-        Cons backwardsList = parseListBackwards(NIL, getNextToken).invoke();
-
-        return reverse(NIL, backwardsList).invoke();
-    }
-
-    public TailCall<Cons> parseListBackwards(Cons accumulator, Supplier<Token> getNextToken) {
-        Cons nextAccumulator = new Cons(parseSExpression(getNextToken), accumulator);
+    protected TailCall<Cons> parseListTail(Supplier<Token> getNextToken) {
+        Cons firstCons = new Cons(parseSExpression(getNextToken), NIL);
         Token next = getNextToken.get();
 
-        return tailCall(() -> next.parseListBackwards(nextAccumulator, getNextToken));
+        return tailCall(() -> next.parseListTailRecursive(firstCons, firstCons, getNextToken));
     }
 
-    // TODO - refactor into a built in function?
-    private TailCall<SExpression> reverse(Cons accumulator, Cons list) {
-        if (list.isNull())
-            return done(accumulator);
+    protected TailCall<Cons> parseListTailRecursive(Cons start, Cons end, Supplier<Token> getNextToken) {
+        Cons newEnd = new Cons(parseSExpression(getNextToken), NIL);
+        Token next = getNextToken.get();
+        end.setRest(newEnd);
 
-        Cons nextAccumulator = new Cons(list.getFirst(), accumulator);
-        Cons rest = (Cons) list.getRest();
-
-        return tailCall(() -> reverse(nextAccumulator, rest));
+        return tailCall(() -> next.parseListTailRecursive(start, newEnd, getNextToken));
     }
 
 }