diff --git a/amazonka-core.cabal b/amazonka-core.cabal
--- a/amazonka-core.cabal
+++ b/amazonka-core.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                  amazonka-core
-version:               0.2.0
+version:               0.2.1
 synopsis:              Core functionality and data types for Amazonka libraries.
 homepage:              https://github.com/brendanhay/amazonka
 license:               OtherLicense
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
         , xml-conduit          == 1.2.*
 
     if !impl(ghc>=7.9)
-        build-depends: nats >= 0.1.3 && < 1
+        build-depends: nats >= 0.1.3
 
 test-suite tests
     type:              exitcode-stdio-1.0
diff --git a/src/Network/AWS/Data/Internal/XML.hs b/src/Network/AWS/Data/Internal/XML.hs
--- a/src/Network/AWS/Data/Internal/XML.hs
+++ b/src/Network/AWS/Data/Internal/XML.hs
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@
     , findElement
     , withContent
     , withElement
-    , withNode
     , localName
     , (.@)
     , (.@?)
@@ -74,7 +73,9 @@
         }
 
 parseXMLText :: FromText a => String -> [Node] -> Either String a
-parseXMLText n = withContent n fromText
+parseXMLText n = withContent n >=> maybe err fromText
+  where
+    err = Left $ "empty node list, when expecting single node " ++ n
 
 toXMLText :: ToText a => a -> [Node]
 toXMLText x = [NodeContent (toText x)]
@@ -111,23 +112,28 @@
     fromMaybe (error $ "Failed to unflatten node-list for: " ++ show x)
               (listToMaybe (toXML x))
 
-withContent :: String -> (Text -> Either String a) -> [Node] -> Either String a
-withContent n f = withNode n (join . fmap f . g)
+withContent :: String -> [Node] -> Either String (Maybe Text)
+withContent n = exactly >=> \case
+    Just  x -> Just <$> content x
+    Nothing -> return Nothing
   where
-    g (NodeContent x)
-        = Right x
-    g (NodeElement e)
-        = Left $ "unexpected element " ++ show (elementName e) ++ " when expecting node content: " ++ n
-    g _ = Left $ "unexpected element, when expecting node content: " ++ n
+    exactly :: [Node] -> Either String (Maybe Node)
+    exactly = \case
+        [x] -> Right (Just x)
+        []  -> Right Nothing
+        _   -> Left $
+            "encountered node list, when expecting exactly one node: " ++ n
 
-withNode :: String -> (Node -> Either String a) -> [Node] -> Either String a
-withNode n f = \case
-    [x] -> f x
-    []  -> Left $ "empty node list, when expecting a single node: " ++ n
-    _   -> Left $ "encountered node list, when expecting a single node: " ++ n
+    content :: Node -> Either String Text
+    content (NodeContent x)
+        = Right x
+    content (NodeElement e)
+        = let k = show (elementName e)
+           in Left $ "unexpected element " ++ k ++ ", when expecting node content: " ++ n
+    content _ = Left $ "unrecognised element, when expecting node content: " ++ n
 
 withElement :: Text -> ([Node] -> Either String a) -> [Node] -> Either String a
-withElement n f = join . fmap f . findElement n
+withElement n f = findElement n >=> f
 
 findElement :: Text -> [Node] -> Either String [Node]
 findElement n ns = maybe err Right . listToMaybe $ mapMaybe (childNodes n) ns
@@ -153,7 +159,9 @@
     parseXML [] = pure Nothing
     parseXML ns = Just <$> parseXML ns
 
-instance FromXML Text    where parseXML = parseXMLText "Text"
+instance FromXML Text where
+    parseXML = withContent "Text" >=> fromText . fromMaybe mempty
+
 instance FromXML Int     where parseXML = parseXMLText "Int"
 instance FromXML Integer where parseXML = parseXMLText "Integer"
 instance FromXML Natural where parseXML = parseXMLText "Natural"
diff --git a/src/Network/AWS/Response.hs b/src/Network/AWS/Response.hs
--- a/src/Network/AWS/Response.hs
+++ b/src/Network/AWS/Response.hs
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@
                 x <- f (_svcAbbrev svc) hs bdy
                 case x of
                     Left  e -> return (Left e)
-                    Right y -> return $! Right (s, y)
+                    Right y -> return (Right (s, y))
 
     svc = service :: Service (Sv a)
 {-# INLINE receive #-}