diff --git a/src/Record.php b/src/Record.php
index 70d1907..f117e38 100644
--- a/src/Record.php
+++ b/src/Record.php
@@ -55,4 +55,21 @@ public static function make($position, $data, $recordSchema='marcxchange', $reco
 
         return new Record(QuiteSimpleXMLElement::make($record, Response::$nsPrefixes));
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Get the record data as a string.
+     *
+     * @return string
+     */
+    public function __toString()
+    {
+        $nodes = $this->data->xpath('./child::*');
+        if (count($nodes) == 1) {
+            return $nodes[0]->asXML();
+        } elseif (count($nodes) > 1) {
+            throw new \RuntimeException('recordData contains more than one node!');
+        }
+
+        return $this->data->text();
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/RecordTest.php b/tests/RecordTest.php
index e8006e7..ebdd99c 100644
--- a/tests/RecordTest.php
+++ b/tests/RecordTest.php
@@ -8,4 +8,22 @@ public function testMake() {
 		$this->assertInstanceOf('Scriptotek\Sru\Record', $record);
 		$this->assertEquals(29, $record->position);
 	}
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+
+	public function testToString() {
+		$record = Record::make(29, 'Hello world');
+
+        $this->assertEquals('Hello world', (string) $record);
+	}
+
+	public function testXmlToString() {
+		$record = Record::make(29, '<hello>world</hello>');
+
+        $this->assertEquals('<hello>world</hello>', (string) $record);
+	}
+
+	public function testNamespacedXmlToString() {
+		$record = Record::make(29, '<c:test xmlns:c="http://www.loc.gov/zing/cql/xcql/">Test</c:test>');
+
+        $this->assertEquals('<c:test xmlns:c="http://www.loc.gov/zing/cql/xcql/">Test</c:test>', (string) $record);
+	}
+}