diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/decoder_xml.go b/pkg/yqlib/decoder_xml.go
index f50cdeae..e079e384 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/decoder_xml.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/decoder_xml.go
@@ -17,7 +17,10 @@ type xmlDecoder struct {
 }
 
 func NewXmlDecoder(reader io.Reader, attributePrefix string, contentPrefix string) Decoder {
-	return &xmlDecoder{reader: reader, attributePrefix: attributePrefix, contentPrefix: "c", finished: false}
+	if contentPrefix == "" {
+		contentPrefix = "content"
+	}
+	return &xmlDecoder{reader: reader, attributePrefix: attributePrefix, contentPrefix: contentPrefix, finished: false}
 }
 
 func (dec *xmlDecoder) createSequence(nodes []*xmlNode) (*yaml.Node, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/stream_evaluator.go b/pkg/yqlib/stream_evaluator.go
index 3c9504b7..34192259 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/stream_evaluator.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/stream_evaluator.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func (s *streamEvaluator) EvaluateFiles(expression string, filenames []string, p
 func (s *streamEvaluator) Evaluate(filename string, reader io.Reader, node *ExpressionNode, printer Printer, leadingContent string) (uint, error) {
 
 	var currentIndex uint
-	decoder := NewXmlDecoder(reader, "+", "c")
+	decoder := NewXmlDecoder(reader, "+", "")
 	for {
 		var dataBucket yaml.Node
 		errorReading := decoder.Decode(&dataBucket)