diff --git a/autoload/nrepl/fireplace_connection.vim b/autoload/nrepl/fireplace_connection.vim
index 538dd6b..eaa7d40 100644
--- a/autoload/nrepl/fireplace_connection.vim
+++ b/autoload/nrepl/fireplace_connection.vim
@@ -193,17 +193,18 @@ endfunction
 let s:keepalive = tempname()
 call writefile([getpid()], s:keepalive)
 
-function! s:nrepl_command(args) dict abort
+function! s:nrepl_command(cmd, args) dict abort
   return 'python'
         \ . ' ' . s:shellesc(s:python_dir.'/nrepl_fireplace.py')
         \ . ' ' . s:shellesc(self.host)
         \ . ' ' . s:shellesc(self.port)
         \ . ' ' . s:shellesc(s:keepalive)
-        \ . ' ' . join(map(copy(a:args), 's:shellesc(v:val)'), ' ')
+        \ . ' ' . s:shellesc(a:cmd)
+        \ . ' ' . join(map(copy(a:args), 's:shellesc(nrepl#fireplace_connection#bencode(v:val))'), ' ')
 endfunction
 
-function! s:nrepl_dispatch(...) dict abort
-  let in = self.command(a:000)
+function! s:nrepl_dispatch(cmd, ...) dict abort
+  let in = self.command(a:cmd, a:000)
   let out = system(in)
   if !v:shell_error
     return eval(out)
diff --git a/python/nrepl_fireplace.py b/python/nrepl_fireplace.py
index b058771..9721ea6 100644
--- a/python/nrepl_fireplace.py
+++ b/python/nrepl_fireplace.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
-import sys
+import re
 import select
 import socket
-import re
+import sys
+
+from StringIO import StringIO
 
 def noop():
   pass
@@ -110,7 +112,7 @@ def dispatch(host, port, poll, keepalive, command, *args):
 
 def main(host, port, keepalive, command, *args):
   try:
-    sys.stdout.write(vim_encode(dispatch(host, port, noop, keepalive, command, *args)))
+    sys.stdout.write(vim_encode(dispatch(host, port, noop, keepalive, command, *[bdecode(StringIO(arg)) for arg in args])))
   except Exception, e:
     print(e)
     exit(1)