diff --git a/src/comp/back/link.rs b/src/comp/back/link.rs
index a0bb27d3280fe..5c9c10ec3bfd5 100644
--- a/src/comp/back/link.rs
+++ b/src/comp/back/link.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import std::sha1::sha1;
 import std::sort;
 import trans::crate_ctxt;
 import syntax::ast;
+import syntax::print::pprust;
 import lib::llvm::llvm::ModuleRef;
 import lib::llvm::llvm::ValueRef;
 import lib::llvm::mk_pass_manager;
@@ -294,16 +295,18 @@ fn build_link_meta(&session::session sess, &ast::crate c,
         auto linkage_metas = attr::find_linkage_metas(c.node.attrs);
         attr::require_unique_names(sess, linkage_metas);
         for (@ast::meta_item meta in linkage_metas) {
-            alt (meta.node) {
-                case (ast::meta_name_value("name", ?v)) {
-                    name = some(v);
+            if (attr::get_meta_item_name(meta) == "name") {
+                alt (attr::get_meta_item_value_str(meta)) {
+                    case (some(?v)) { name = some(v); }
+                    case (none) { cmh_items += [meta]; }
                 }
-                case (ast::meta_name_value("vers", ?v)) {
-                    vers = some(v);
-                }
-                case (_) {
-                    cmh_items += [meta];
+            } else if (attr::get_meta_item_name(meta) == "vers") {
+                alt (attr::get_meta_item_value_str(meta)) {
+                    case (some(?v)) { vers = some(v); }
+                    case (none) { cmh_items += [meta]; }
                 }
+            } else {
+                cmh_items += [meta];
             }
         }
         ret rec(name = name,
@@ -317,6 +320,10 @@ fn build_link_meta(&session::session sess, &ast::crate c,
         fn len_and_str(&str s) -> str {
             ret #fmt("%u_%s", str::byte_len(s), s);
         }
+
+        fn len_and_str_lit(&ast::lit l) -> str {
+            ret len_and_str(pprust::lit_to_str(@l));
+        }
     
         auto cmh_items = attr::sort_meta_items(metas.cmh_items);
 
@@ -326,7 +333,7 @@ fn build_link_meta(&session::session sess, &ast::crate c,
             alt (m.node) {
                 case (ast::meta_name_value(?key, ?value)) {
                     sha.input_str(len_and_str(key));
-                    sha.input_str(len_and_str(value));
+                    sha.input_str(len_and_str_lit(value));
                 }
                 case (ast::meta_word(?name)) {
                     sha.input_str(len_and_str(name));
diff --git a/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs b/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
index ce422742b45a7..5f410678fdf49 100644
--- a/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
+++ b/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ fn default_configuration(session::session sess, str argv0, str input) ->
             case (_) { "libc.so" }
         };
 
-    auto mk = attr::mk_name_value_item;
+    auto mk = attr::mk_name_value_item_str;
 
     ret [ // Target bindings.
          mk("target_os", std::os::target_os()),
diff --git a/src/comp/front/attr.rs b/src/comp/front/attr.rs
index acd24e8353ee4..37bcd0bb8b821 100644
--- a/src/comp/front/attr.rs
+++ b/src/comp/front/attr.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import syntax::ast;
 import util::common;
 import driver::session;
 
+export attr_meta;
 export attr_metas;
 export find_linkage_metas;
 export find_attrs_by_name;
@@ -17,6 +18,9 @@ export sort_meta_items;
 export remove_meta_items_by_name;
 export require_unique_names;
 export get_attr_name;
+export get_meta_item_name;
+export get_meta_item_value_str;
+export mk_name_value_item_str;
 export mk_name_value_item;
 export mk_list_item;
 export mk_word_item;
@@ -78,9 +82,25 @@ fn get_meta_item_name(&@ast::meta_item meta) -> ast::ident {
     }
 }
 
+// Gets the string value if the meta_item is a meta_name_value variant
+// containing a string, otherwise none
+fn get_meta_item_value_str(&@ast::meta_item meta) -> option::t[str] {
+    alt (meta.node) {
+        case (ast::meta_name_value(_, ?v)) {
+            alt (v.node) {
+                case (ast::lit_str(?s, _)) {
+                    option::some(s)
+                }
+                case (_) { option::none }
+            }
+        }
+        case (_) { option::none }
+    }
+}
+
 fn attr_meta(&ast::attribute attr) -> @ast::meta_item { @attr.node.value }
 
-// Get the meta_items from inside an attribute
+// Get the meta_items from inside a vector of attributes
 fn attr_metas(&vec[ast::attribute] attrs) -> vec[@ast::meta_item] {
     ret vec::map(attr_meta, attrs);
 }
@@ -95,7 +115,9 @@ fn eq(@ast::meta_item a, @ast::meta_item b) -> bool {
         }
         case (ast::meta_name_value(?na, ?va)) {
             alt (b.node) {
-                case (ast::meta_name_value(?nb, ?vb)) { na == nb && va == vb }
+                case (ast::meta_name_value(?nb, ?vb)) {
+                    na == nb && va.node == vb.node
+                }
                 case (_) { false }
             }
         }
@@ -188,7 +210,12 @@ fn span[T](&T item) -> ast::spanned[T] {
     ret rec(node=item, span=rec(lo=0u, hi=0u));
 }
 
-fn mk_name_value_item(ast::ident name, str value) -> @ast::meta_item {
+fn mk_name_value_item_str(ast::ident name, str value) -> @ast::meta_item {
+    auto value_lit = span(ast::lit_str(value, ast::sk_rc));
+    ret mk_name_value_item(name, value_lit);
+}
+
+fn mk_name_value_item(ast::ident name, ast::lit value) -> @ast::meta_item {
     ret @span(ast::meta_name_value(name, value));
 }
 
diff --git a/src/comp/metadata/creader.rs b/src/comp/metadata/creader.rs
index 308a59101d4c9..f2f9a358713b2 100644
--- a/src/comp/metadata/creader.rs
+++ b/src/comp/metadata/creader.rs
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ fn find_library_crate(&session::session sess, &ast::ident ident,
         auto name_items = attr::find_meta_items_by_name(metas, "name");
         alt (vec::last(name_items)) {
             case (some(?i)) {
-                alt (i.node) {
-                    case (ast::meta_name_value(_, ?v)) { v }
+                alt (attr::get_meta_item_value_str(i)) {
+                    case (some(?n)) { n }
                     case (_) {
                         // FIXME: Probably want a warning here since the user
                         // is using the wrong type of meta item
@@ -180,17 +180,13 @@ fn visit_item(env e, &@ast::item i) {
             if (!e.sess.add_used_library(m.native_name)) {
                 ret;
             }
-            for (ast::attribute a in i.attrs) {
-                auto v = a.node.value.node;
-                alt (v) {
-                    case (ast::meta_name_value(?i, ?s)) {
-                        if (i != "link_args") {
-                            cont;
-                        }
-                        e.sess.add_used_link_args(s);
-                    }
-                    case (_) {
+            for (ast::attribute a in
+                     attr::find_attrs_by_name(i.attrs, "link_args")) {
+                alt (attr::get_meta_item_value_str(attr::attr_meta(a))) {
+                    case (some(?linkarg)) {
+                        e.sess.add_used_link_args(linkarg);
                     }
+                    case (none) { /* fallthrough */ }
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/comp/metadata/decoder.rs b/src/comp/metadata/decoder.rs
index 14d4035185f0b..7bcb9e48bf863 100644
--- a/src/comp/metadata/decoder.rs
+++ b/src/comp/metadata/decoder.rs
@@ -276,7 +276,9 @@ fn get_meta_items(&ebml::doc md) -> vec[@ast::meta_item] {
         auto vd = ebml::get_doc(meta_item_doc, tag_meta_item_value);
         auto n = str::unsafe_from_bytes(ebml::doc_data(nd));
         auto v = str::unsafe_from_bytes(ebml::doc_data(vd));
-        items += [attr::mk_name_value_item(n, v)];
+        // FIXME (#611): Should be able to decode meta_name_value variants,
+        // but currently they can't be encoded
+        items += [attr::mk_name_value_item_str(n, v)];
     }
     for each (ebml::doc meta_item_doc in
               ebml::tagged_docs(md, tag_meta_item_list)) {
diff --git a/src/comp/metadata/encoder.rs b/src/comp/metadata/encoder.rs
index 4526e515f7987..cc3d44399c8b9 100644
--- a/src/comp/metadata/encoder.rs
+++ b/src/comp/metadata/encoder.rs
@@ -429,14 +429,19 @@ fn encode_meta_item(&ebml::writer ebml_w, &meta_item mi) {
             ebml::end_tag(ebml_w);
         }
         case (meta_name_value(?name, ?value)) {
-            ebml::start_tag(ebml_w, tag_meta_item_name_value);
-            ebml::start_tag(ebml_w, tag_meta_item_name);
-            ebml_w.writer.write(str::bytes(name));
-            ebml::end_tag(ebml_w);
-            ebml::start_tag(ebml_w, tag_meta_item_value);
-            ebml_w.writer.write(str::bytes(value));
-            ebml::end_tag(ebml_w);
-            ebml::end_tag(ebml_w);
+            alt (value.node) {
+                case (lit_str(?value, _)) {
+                    ebml::start_tag(ebml_w, tag_meta_item_name_value);
+                    ebml::start_tag(ebml_w, tag_meta_item_name);
+                    ebml_w.writer.write(str::bytes(name));
+                    ebml::end_tag(ebml_w);
+                    ebml::start_tag(ebml_w, tag_meta_item_value);
+                    ebml_w.writer.write(str::bytes(value));
+                    ebml::end_tag(ebml_w);
+                    ebml::end_tag(ebml_w);
+                }
+                case (_) { /* FIXME (#611) */ }
+            }
         }
         case (meta_list(?name, ?items)) {
             ebml::start_tag(ebml_w, tag_meta_item_list);
@@ -475,10 +480,10 @@ fn synthesize_crate_attrs(&@crate_ctxt cx,
         assert cx.link_meta.name != "";
         assert cx.link_meta.vers != "";
 
-        auto name_item = attr::mk_name_value_item("name",
-                                                  cx.link_meta.name);
-        auto vers_item = attr::mk_name_value_item("vers",
-                                                  cx.link_meta.vers);
+        auto name_item = attr::mk_name_value_item_str("name",
+                                                      cx.link_meta.name);
+        auto vers_item = attr::mk_name_value_item_str("vers",
+                                                      cx.link_meta.vers);
 
         auto other_items = {
             auto tmp = attr::remove_meta_items_by_name(items, "name");
diff --git a/src/comp/syntax/ast.rs b/src/comp/syntax/ast.rs
index 7d1bb124c4e53..5f8e301d6e201 100644
--- a/src/comp/syntax/ast.rs
+++ b/src/comp/syntax/ast.rs
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ type meta_item = spanned[meta_item_];
 tag meta_item_ {
     meta_word(ident);
     meta_list(ident, vec[@meta_item]);
-    meta_name_value(ident, str);
+    meta_name_value(ident, lit);
 }
 
 type block = spanned[block_];
diff --git a/src/comp/syntax/parse/parser.rs b/src/comp/syntax/parse/parser.rs
index e852fdcb0af92..b671e9eaa69be 100644
--- a/src/comp/syntax/parse/parser.rs
+++ b/src/comp/syntax/parse/parser.rs
@@ -2172,17 +2172,9 @@ fn parse_meta_item(&parser p) -> @ast::meta_item {
     alt (p.peek()) {
         case (token::EQ) {
             p.bump();
-            alt (p.peek()) {
-                case (token::LIT_STR(?s)) {
-                    p.bump();
-                    auto value = p.get_str(s);
-                    auto hi = p.get_hi_pos();
-                    ret @spanned(lo, hi, ast::meta_name_value(ident, value));
-                }
-                case (_) {
-                    p.fatal("Metadata items must be string literals");
-                }
-            }
+            auto lit = parse_lit(p);
+            auto hi = p.get_hi_pos();
+            ret @spanned(lo, hi, ast::meta_name_value(ident, lit));
         }
         case (token::LPAREN) {
             auto inner_items = parse_meta_seq(p);
diff --git a/src/comp/syntax/print/pprust.rs b/src/comp/syntax/print/pprust.rs
index e69c089323edd..b5f83c2009c7a 100644
--- a/src/comp/syntax/print/pprust.rs
+++ b/src/comp/syntax/print/pprust.rs
@@ -1103,7 +1103,7 @@ fn print_meta_item(&ps s, &@ast::meta_item item) {
         case (ast::meta_name_value(?name, ?value)) {
             word_space(s, name);
             word_space(s, "=");
-            print_string(s, value);
+            print_literal(s, @value);
         }
         case (ast::meta_list(?name, ?items)) {
             word(s.s, name);
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/item-attributes.rs b/src/test/run-pass/item-attributes.rs
index c66a41e8d0be7..be43623d8a831 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/item-attributes.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/item-attributes.rs
@@ -204,6 +204,20 @@ mod test_native_items {
     }
 }
 
+mod test_literals {
+    #[str = "s"];
+    #[char = 'c'];
+    #[int = 100];
+    #[uint = 100u];
+    #[mach_int = 100u32];
+    #[float = 1.0];
+    #[mach_float = 1.0f32];
+    // FIXME (#622): Can't parse a nil literal here
+    //#[nil = ()];
+    #[bool = true];
+    mod m {}
+}
+
 fn main() {
 }