diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 74a5a69..6ed3494 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@
 
 VERSION := 0.5.0
 
+# a bit of a hack to make sure this runs before any rules
+ifneq ($(CALCULATING),yes)
+TOTAL := $(shell $(MAKE) CALCULATING=yes -n | sed -n 's/^.*Compiling: \([^"]\+\)"/\1/p' > .files )
+endif
+
 all: make.conf FL Timeline
 
 make.conf: configure
@@ -30,8 +35,14 @@ INCLUDES := -I. -Iutil -IFL
 
 include scripts/colors
 
+ifneq ($(CALCULATING),yes)
+	COMPILING="$(BOLD)$(BLACK)[$(SGR0)$(CYAN)`scripts/percent-complete .files "$<"`$(SGR0)$(BOLD)$(BLACK)]$(SGR0) Compiling: $(BOLD)$(YELLOW)$<$(SGR0)"
+else
+	COMPILING="Compiling: $<"
+endif
+
 .C.o:
-	@ echo "Compiling: $(BOLD)$(YELLOW)$<$(SGR0)"
+	@ echo $(COMPILING)
 	@ $(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) $(INCLUDES) -c $< -o $@
 
 %.C : %.fl
diff --git a/scripts/percent-complete b/scripts/percent-complete
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..31b2c6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/percent-complete
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+# May 2008 Jonathan Moore Liles
+#
+# Given the name of a file containing a list of files and a filename
+# from that list, return the percentage of the distance from the
+# beginning of the list.
+
+[ $# -ne 2 ] && exit
+
+MATCH="`grep -nFx \"$2\" \"$1\"`"
+MATCH=${MATCH%%:*}
+TOTAL="`cat \"$1\" | wc -l`"
+
+if [ -z "$MATCH" ]
+then
+    echo "0%"
+else
+    printf "%3s%%" $(( $MATCH * 100 / $TOTAL ))
+fi
\ No newline at end of file