diff --git a/Objects/stringlib/partition.h b/Objects/stringlib/partition.h
index 1486347..105ba31 100644
--- a/Objects/stringlib/partition.h
+++ b/Objects/stringlib/partition.h
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@
             }
 
     if (pos < 0) {
-	Py_INCREF(str_obj);
-	PyTuple_SET_ITEM(out, 0, (PyObject*) str_obj);
+	Py_INCREF(STRINGLIB_EMPTY);
+	PyTuple_SET_ITEM(out, 0, (PyObject*) STRINGLIB_EMPTY);
 	Py_INCREF(STRINGLIB_EMPTY);
 	PyTuple_SET_ITEM(out, 1, (PyObject*) STRINGLIB_EMPTY);
-	Py_INCREF(STRINGLIB_EMPTY);
-	PyTuple_SET_ITEM(out, 2, (PyObject*) STRINGLIB_EMPTY);
+	Py_INCREF(str_obj);        
+	PyTuple_SET_ITEM(out, 2, (PyObject*) str_obj);
 	return out;
     }
 
diff --git a/Objects/stringobject.c b/Objects/stringobject.c
index f3ef4b8..4c2faf4 100644
--- a/Objects/stringobject.c
+++ b/Objects/stringobject.c
@@ -1543,11 +1543,11 @@
 }
 
 PyDoc_STRVAR(rpartition__doc__,
-"S.rpartition(sep) -> (head, sep, tail)\n\
+"S.rpartition(sep) -> (tail, sep, head)\n\
 \n\
 Searches for the separator sep in S, starting at the end of S, and returns\n\
 the part before it, the separator itself, and the part after it.  If the\n\
-separator is not found, returns S and two empty strings.");
+separator is not found, returns two empty strings and S.");
 
 static PyObject *
 string_rpartition(PyStringObject *self, PyObject *sep_obj)
diff --git a/Objects/unicodeobject.c b/Objects/unicodeobject.c
index 20daf66..7937281 100644
--- a/Objects/unicodeobject.c
+++ b/Objects/unicodeobject.c
@@ -6712,11 +6712,11 @@
 }
 
 PyDoc_STRVAR(rpartition__doc__,
-"S.rpartition(sep) -> (head, sep, tail)\n\
+"S.rpartition(sep) -> (tail, sep, head)\n\
 \n\
 Searches for the separator sep in S, starting at the end of S, and returns\n\
 the part before it, the separator itself, and the part after it.  If the\n\
-separator is not found, returns S and two empty strings.");
+separator is not found, returns two empty strings and S.");
 
 static PyObject*
 unicode_rpartition(PyUnicodeObject *self, PyObject *separator)