diff --git a/Core.hs b/Core.hs
--- a/Core.hs
+++ b/Core.hs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 -- 
 -- Copyright (c) 2005-2008 Don Stewart - http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~dons
--- Copyright (c) 2008, 2019, 2020 Galen Huntington
+-- Copyright (c) 2008, 2019-2021 Galen Huntington
 -- 
 -- This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 -- modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
diff --git a/Keymap.hs b/Keymap.hs
--- a/Keymap.hs
+++ b/Keymap.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 -- 
 -- Copyright (c) 2004-2008 Don Stewart - http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~dons
--- Copyright (c) 2008, 2019, 2020 Galen Huntington
+-- Copyright (c) 2008, 2019-2021 Galen Huntington
 -- 
 -- This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 -- modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 import State        (getsST, touchST, HState(helpVisible))
 import Style        (defaultSty, StringA(Fast))
 import qualified UI (resetui)
-import Lexers       ((>|<),(>||<),action,meta,execLexer
+import Lexers       ((>||<),action,meta,execLexer
                     ,alt,with,char,Regexp,Lexer)
 
 import UI.HSCurses.Curses (Key(..), decodeKey)
@@ -47,25 +47,33 @@
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as P
 import qualified Data.Map as M
 
-data Search = SearchFile | SearchDir
-
 data Direction = Forwards | Backwards
-
-toBool :: Direction -> Bool
-toBool Forwards = True
-toBool _        = False
+data Zipper = Zipper { cur :: !String, back :: ![String], front :: ![String] }
+data SearchWhat = SearchFiles | SearchDirs
+data SearchType = SearchType
+    { schChar :: !Char
+    , schWhat :: !SearchWhat
+    , schDir  :: !Direction
+    }
+data SearchSpec = SearchSpec
+    { schType   :: !SearchType
+    , schZipper :: !Zipper
+    }
+data SearchState = SearchState
+    { schHist :: ![String]
+    , schSpec :: SearchSpec
+    }
 
-type LexerS = Lexer (Search, Direction, String) (IO ())
+type LexerS = Lexer SearchState (IO ())
+type Result = Maybe (Either String (IO ()))
+type MetaTarget = (Result, SearchState, Maybe LexerS)
 
 --
 -- The keymap
 --
 keymap :: [Char] -> [IO ()]
-keymap cs = map (clrmsg >>) actions
-    where (actions,_,_) = execLexer all (cs, defaultS)
-
-defaultS :: (Search, Direction, String)
-defaultS = (SearchDir, Forwards, [])
+keymap cs = map (clrmsg *>) actions
+    where (actions,_,_) = execLexer all (cs, SearchState [] undefined)
 
 all :: LexerS
 all = commands >||< search
@@ -76,48 +84,76 @@
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 search :: LexerS
-search = searchDir >||< searchFile
+search = searchDirs >||< searchFiles
 
-searchDir :: LexerS
-searchDir = (char '\\' >|< char '|') `meta` \[c] _ ->
-                (with (toggleFocus >> putmsg (Fast (P.singleton c) defaultSty) >> touchST)
-                ,(SearchDir,if c == '\\' then Forwards else Backwards,[c]) ,Just dosearch)
+searchStart :: Char -> SearchWhat -> Direction -> LexerS
+searchStart c typ dir = char c `meta` \_ (SearchState hist _) ->
+    (with (toggleFocus *> putmsg (Fast (P.singleton c) defaultSty) *> touchST)
+    , SearchState hist $ SearchSpec (SearchType c typ dir) (Zipper "" hist [])
+    , Just dosearch)
 
-searchFile :: LexerS
-searchFile = (char '/' >|< char '?') `meta` \[c] _ ->
-                (with (toggleFocus >> putmsg (Fast (P.singleton c) defaultSty) >> touchST)
-                ,(SearchFile,if c == '/' then Forwards else Backwards,[c]) ,Just dosearch)
+searchDirs :: LexerS
+searchDirs =  searchStart '\\' SearchDirs Forwards
+        >||< searchStart '|' SearchDirs Backwards
 
+searchFiles :: LexerS
+searchFiles = searchStart '/' SearchFiles Forwards
+        >||< searchStart '?' SearchFiles Backwards
+
 dosearch :: LexerS
-dosearch = search_char >||< search_edit >||< search_esc >||< search_eval
+dosearch = search_char >||< search_bs >||< search_up >||< search_down >||< search_esc >||< search_eval
 
+endSearchWith :: IO () -> [String] -> MetaTarget
+endSearchWith a hist = (with (a *> toggleFocus), SearchState hist undefined, Just all)
+
+-- "lens"
+zipEdit :: (String -> String) -> Zipper -> Zipper
+zipEdit f zipp = zipp{cur = f $ cur zipp}
+
+printSearch :: SearchSpec -> Maybe (Either a (IO ()))
+printSearch spec = with do
+    putmsg $ Fast (P.pack $ schChar (schType spec) : cur (schZipper spec)) defaultSty
+    touchST
+
+updateSearch :: (Zipper -> Zipper) -> SearchState -> MetaTarget
+updateSearch f st@(SearchState _ spec) =
+    let spec' = spec{ schZipper = f $ schZipper spec }
+    in (printSearch spec', st{schSpec=spec'}, Just dosearch)
+
 search_char :: LexerS
-search_char = anyButDelNL
-    `meta` \c (t,d,st) ->
-        (with (putmsg (Fast (P.pack(st++c)) defaultSty) >> touchST), (t,d,st++c), Just dosearch)
-    where anyButDelNL = alt $ any' \\ (enter' ++ delete' ++ ['\ESC'])
+search_char = anyNonSpecial `meta` \c -> updateSearch $ zipEdit (++ c)
+    where anyNonSpecial = alt $ any' \\ (enter' ++ delete' ++ ['\ESC'])
 
-search_edit :: LexerS
-search_edit = delete
-    `meta` \_ (t,d,st) ->
-        let st' = case st of [c] -> [c]; xs  -> init xs
-        in (with (putmsg (Fast (P.pack st') defaultSty) >> touchST), (t,d,st'), Just dosearch)
+search_bs :: LexerS
+search_bs = delete `meta`
+    \_ -> updateSearch $ zipEdit \case [] -> []; xs -> init xs
 
--- escape exits ex mode immediately
+search_up :: LexerS
+search_up = char (unkey KeyUp) `meta` \_ -> updateSearch \case
+    Zipper cur (nx:rest) front -> Zipper nx rest (cur:front)
+    zipp                       -> zipp
+
+search_down :: LexerS
+search_down = char (unkey KeyDown) `meta` \_ -> updateSearch \case
+    Zipper cur back (pv:rest) -> Zipper pv (cur:back) rest
+    zipp                      -> zipp
+
 search_esc :: LexerS
-search_esc = char '\ESC'
-    `meta` \_ _ -> wrap (clrmsg >> touchST)
-    where wrap a = (with (a >> toggleFocus), defaultS, Just all)
+search_esc = char '\ESC' `meta`
+    \_ (SearchState hist _) -> endSearchWith (clrmsg *> touchST) hist
 
 search_eval :: LexerS
-search_eval = enter
-    `meta` \_ (t, d, _:pat) -> case pat of
-        [] -> wrap (clrmsg >> touchST)
-        _  -> case t of
-                SearchFile -> wrap (jumpToMatchFile (Just pat) (toBool d))
-                SearchDir  -> wrap (jumpToMatch     (Just pat) (toBool d))
+search_eval = enter `meta` \_ (SearchState hist spec) -> case cur $ schZipper spec of
+    []  -> endSearchWith (clrmsg *> touchST) hist
+    pat ->
+        let typ = schType spec
+            jumpTo = case schWhat typ of
+              SearchFiles -> jumpToMatchFile
+              SearchDirs  -> jumpToMatch
+        in endSearchWith
+            do jumpTo (Just pat) case schDir typ of Forwards -> True; _ -> False
+            do if take 1 hist == [pat] then hist else pat : hist
 
-    where wrap a = (with (a >> toggleFocus), defaultS, Just all)
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -136,7 +172,7 @@
 any'     = ['\0' .. '\255']
 digit'   = ['0' .. '9']
 
-delete, enter :: Regexp (Search,Direction,[Char]) (IO ())
+delete, enter :: Regexp SearchState (IO ())
 delete  = alt delete'
 enter   = alt enter'
 
@@ -181,7 +217,7 @@
     ,("Quit (or close help screen)",
         ['q'],   do b <- helpIsVisible ; if b then toggleHelp else quit Nothing)
     ,("Select and play next track",
-        ['d'],   playNext >> jumpToPlaying)
+        ['d'],   playNext *> jumpToPlaying)
     ,("Cycle through normal, random, and loop modes",
         ['m'],   nextMode)
     ,("Refresh the display",
diff --git a/Main.hs b/Main.hs
--- a/Main.hs
+++ b/Main.hs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 -- 
 -- Copyright (c) Don Stewart 2004-2008.
 -- Copyright (c) Tuomo Valkonen 2004.
--- Copyright (c) 2019, 2020 Galen Huntington
+-- Copyright (c) 2019-2021 Galen Huntington
 --
 -- This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 -- modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
diff --git a/hmp3-ng.cabal b/hmp3-ng.cabal
--- a/hmp3-ng.cabal
+++ b/hmp3-ng.cabal
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 --
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
 --
--- hash: 3ce78a070f63eb040d0a181e06c04704f783d764067ba6fad8632bc1993b6b59
+-- hash: 1f956746a3b58bb1485c816c5c816bd28deaaf3058aa792f61da8049145ad5b2
 
 name:           hmp3-ng
-version:        2.10.0
+version:        2.11.0
 synopsis:       A 2019 fork of an ncurses mp3 player written in Haskell
 description:    An mp3 player with a curses frontend. Playlists are populated by
                 passing file and directory names on the command line, and saved to the
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
       Paths_hmp3_ng
   hs-source-dirs:
       ./.
-  default-extensions: BangPatterns BlockArguments NondecreasingIndentation OverloadedStrings ScopedTypeVariables TypeApplications DerivingStrategies RecordWildCards
+  default-extensions: BangPatterns BlockArguments NondecreasingIndentation OverloadedStrings ScopedTypeVariables TypeApplications DerivingStrategies RecordWildCards LambdaCase
   ghc-options: -Wall -funbox-strict-fields -threaded -Wno-unused-do-bind
   extra-libraries:
       ncursesw