diff --git a/hy/emitters/__init__.py b/hy/emitters/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/hy/emitters/ast27.py b/hy/emitters/ast27.py
index e2129f5..b156c6e 100644
--- a/hy/emitters/ast27.py
+++ b/hy/emitters/ast27.py
@@ -1,5 +1,17 @@
 #
+import ast
+
+
+def emit_node(node):
+    print type(node)
+    body = []
+    for sn in node.get_children():
+        body.append(emit_node(sn))
+    print body
 
 
 def emit(tree):
-    pass
+    ret = []
+    for node in tree:
+        ret.append(emit_node(node))
+    return ret
diff --git a/hy/lang/expression.py b/hy/lang/expression.py
index 417cdef..73b64a1 100644
--- a/hy/lang/expression.py
+++ b/hy/lang/expression.py
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@ class HYExpression(list):
     def __init__(self, nodes):
         self += nodes
 
+    def get_children(self):
+        ret = []
+        for node in self.get_invocation()['args']:
+            ret.append(node)
+        return ret
+
     def get_invocation(self):
         fn = self[0] if len(self) > 0 else ""
         args = self[1:] if len(self) > 1 else []
diff --git a/hy/lang/list.py b/hy/lang/list.py
index f0bb973..befeaee 100644
--- a/hy/lang/list.py
+++ b/hy/lang/list.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
 class HYList(list):
     def __init__(self, nodes):
         self += nodes
+
+    def get_children(self):
+        return []
diff --git a/hy/lang/string.py b/hy/lang/string.py
index a49e8e3..2ec66f5 100644
--- a/hy/lang/string.py
+++ b/hy/lang/string.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
-class HYString(str):
+class HYString(unicode):
     def __init__(self, string):
-        self = string  # NOQA
+        self += string
+
+    def get_children(self):
+        return []
diff --git a/hy/lex/states.py b/hy/lex/states.py
index 37ea2b3..23dde2e 100644
--- a/hy/lex/states.py
+++ b/hy/lex/states.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 from hy.lang.expression import HYExpression
 from hy.lex.errors import LexException
+from hy.lang.string import HYString
 from hy.lex.machine import Machine
 from hy.lang.list import HYList
 
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ class String(State):
         self.esc = False
 
     def exit(self):
-        self.machine.nodes.append(self.buf)
+        self.machine.nodes.append(HYString(self.buf))
 
     def p(self, x):
         if x == "\\":