diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/lexer.js b/lib/coffee-script/lexer.js
index 21e5ac20..250f1037 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/lexer.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/lexer.js
@@ -768,7 +768,7 @@
       }
       locationData = {};
       ref2 = this.getLineAndColumnFromChunk(offsetInChunk), locationData.first_line = ref2[0], locationData.first_column = ref2[1];
-      lastCharacter = Math.max(0, length - 1);
+      lastCharacter = length > 0 ? length - 1 : 0;
       ref3 = this.getLineAndColumnFromChunk(offsetInChunk + lastCharacter), locationData.last_line = ref3[0], locationData.last_column = ref3[1];
       token = [tag, value, locationData];
       return token;
diff --git a/src/lexer.coffee b/src/lexer.coffee
index 2e6090df..83f9f907 100644
--- a/src/lexer.coffee
+++ b/src/lexer.coffee
@@ -658,7 +658,7 @@ exports.Lexer = class Lexer
 
     # Use length - 1 for the final offset - we're supplying the last_line and the last_column,
     # so if last_column == first_column, then we're looking at a character of length 1.
-    lastCharacter = Math.max 0, length - 1
+    lastCharacter = if length > 0 then (length - 1) else 0
     [locationData.last_line, locationData.last_column] =
       @getLineAndColumnFromChunk offsetInChunk + lastCharacter