diff --git a/command/command_test.go b/command/command_test.go
index 5d150bcb1..fcc8dfb25 100644
--- a/command/command_test.go
+++ b/command/command_test.go
@@ -224,21 +224,7 @@ func testProvider() *terraform.MockResourceProvider {
 }
 
 func testTempFile(t *testing.T) string {
-	tf, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "tf")
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
-	}
-
-	result := tf.Name()
-
-	if err := tf.Close(); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
-	}
-	if err := os.Remove(result); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
-	}
-
-	return result
+	return filepath.Join(testTempDir(t), "state.tfstate")
 }
 
 func testTempDir(t *testing.T) string {
diff --git a/command/plan_test.go b/command/plan_test.go
index 935793174..8736b8cc9 100644
--- a/command/plan_test.go
+++ b/command/plan_test.go
@@ -108,6 +108,9 @@ func TestPlan_destroy(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPlan_noState(t *testing.T) {
+	tmp, cwd := testCwd(t)
+	defer testFixCwd(t, tmp, cwd)
+
 	p := testProvider()
 	ui := new(cli.MockUi)
 	c := &PlanCommand{
diff --git a/command/state_meta.go b/command/state_meta.go
index f576004e3..c1af8b82e 100644
--- a/command/state_meta.go
+++ b/command/state_meta.go
@@ -3,12 +3,18 @@ package command
 import (
 	"errors"
 
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/state"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/terraform"
 )
 
 // StateMeta is the meta struct that should be embedded in state subcommands.
 type StateMeta struct{}
 
+// State returns the state for this meta.
+func (m *StateMeta) State(cm *Meta) (state.State, error) {
+	return cm.State()
+}
+
 // filterInstance filters a single instance out of filter results.
 func (c *StateMeta) filterInstance(rs []*terraform.StateFilterResult) (*terraform.StateFilterResult, error) {
 	var result *terraform.StateFilterResult
diff --git a/command/state_show.go b/command/state_show.go
index 55bc30910..d9a4f1d08 100644
--- a/command/state_show.go
+++ b/command/state_show.go
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ func (c *StateShowCommand) Run(args []string) int {
 	}
 	args = cmdFlags.Args()
 
-	state, err := c.State()
+	state, err := c.Meta.State()
 	if err != nil {
 		c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf(errStateLoadingState, err))
 		return cli.RunResultHelp
diff --git a/command/state_test.go b/command/state_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7fe83e904
--- /dev/null
+++ b/command/state_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package command
+
+import (
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// testStateBackups returns the list of backups in order of creation
+// (oldest first) in the given directory.
+func testStateBackups(t *testing.T, dir string) []string {
+	// Find all the backups
+	list, err := filepath.Glob(filepath.Join(dir, "*"+DefaultBackupExtension))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	// Sort them which will put them naturally in the right order
+	sort.Strings(list)
+
+	return list
+}