diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/coffee-script.js b/lib/coffee-script/coffee-script.js
index 9c91e2bf..9f17ffde 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/coffee-script.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/coffee-script.js
@@ -51,8 +51,7 @@
       if (options.filename) {
         err.message = "In " + options.filename + ", " + err.message;
       }
-      console.error(err.message);
-      process.exit(1);
+      throw err;
     }
     header = "Generated by CoffeeScript " + this.VERSION;
     return "// " + header + "\n" + js;
diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/nodes.js b/lib/coffee-script/nodes.js
index b722a328..47cdca42 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/nodes.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/nodes.js
@@ -2887,7 +2887,7 @@
       args = [];
       if ((mentionsArgs = expressions.contains(this.literalArgs)) || expressions.contains(this.literalThis)) {
         if (mentionsArgs && expressions.classBody) {
-          throw SyntaxError("Class bodies don't have arguments");
+          throw SyntaxError("Class bodies shouldn't reference arguments");
         }
         meth = new Literal(mentionsArgs ? 'apply' : 'call');
         args = [new Literal('this')];
diff --git a/src/coffee-script.coffee b/src/coffee-script.coffee
index 4164a4b2..1f72d840 100644
--- a/src/coffee-script.coffee
+++ b/src/coffee-script.coffee
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@ exports.compile = compile = (code, options = {}) ->
     return js unless options.header
   catch err
     err.message = "In #{options.filename}, #{err.message}" if options.filename
-    console.error err.message
-    process.exit 1
+    throw err
   header = "Generated by CoffeeScript #{@VERSION}"
   "// #{header}\n#{js}"