diff --git a/request.js b/request.js
index 1339435df..f8c33f49f 100644
--- a/request.js
+++ b/request.js
@@ -1120,56 +1120,58 @@ Request.prototype.onRequestResponse = function (response) {
       self._ended = true
     })
 
-    var dataStream
+    var responseContent
     if (self.gzip) {
       var contentEncoding = response.headers['content-encoding'] || 'identity'
       contentEncoding = contentEncoding.trim().toLowerCase()
 
       if (contentEncoding === 'gzip') {
-        dataStream = zlib.createGunzip()
-        response.pipe(dataStream)
+        responseContent = zlib.createGunzip()
+        response.pipe(responseContent)
       } else {
         // Since previous versions didn't check for Content-Encoding header,
         // ignore any invalid values to preserve backwards-compatibility
         if (contentEncoding !== 'identity') {
           debug('ignoring unrecognized Content-Encoding ' + contentEncoding)
         }
-        dataStream = response
+        responseContent = response
       }
     } else {
-      dataStream = response
+      responseContent = response
     }
 
     if (self.encoding) {
       if (self.dests.length !== 0) {
         console.error('Ignoring encoding parameter as this stream is being piped to another stream which makes the encoding option invalid.')
-      } else if (dataStream.setEncoding) {
-        dataStream.setEncoding(self.encoding)
+      } else if (responseContent.setEncoding) {
+        responseContent.setEncoding(self.encoding)
       } else {
         // Should only occur on node pre-v0.9.4 (joyent/node@9b5abe5) with
         // zlib streams.
         // If/When support for 0.9.4 is dropped, this should be unnecessary.
-        dataStream = dataStream.pipe(stringstream(self.encoding))
+        responseContent = responseContent.pipe(stringstream(self.encoding))
       }
     }
 
+    self.responseContent = responseContent
+
     self.emit('response', response)
 
     self.dests.forEach(function (dest) {
       self.pipeDest(dest)
     })
 
-    dataStream.on('data', function (chunk) {
+    responseContent.on('data', function (chunk) {
       self._destdata = true
       self.emit('data', chunk)
     })
-    dataStream.on('end', function (chunk) {
+    responseContent.on('end', function (chunk) {
       self.emit('end', chunk)
     })
-    dataStream.on('error', function (error) {
+    responseContent.on('error', function (error) {
       self.emit('error', error)
     })
-    dataStream.on('close', function () {self.emit('close')})
+    responseContent.on('close', function () {self.emit('close')})
 
     if (self.callback) {
       var buffer = bl()
@@ -1536,18 +1538,18 @@ Request.prototype.end = function (chunk) {
 }
 Request.prototype.pause = function () {
   var self = this
-  if (!self.response) {
+  if (!self.responseContent) {
     self._paused = true
   } else {
-    self.response.pause.apply(self.response, arguments)
+    self.responseContent.pause.apply(self.responseContent, arguments)
   }
 }
 Request.prototype.resume = function () {
   var self = this
-  if (!self.response) {
+  if (!self.responseContent) {
     self._paused = false
   } else {
-    self.response.resume.apply(self.response, arguments)
+    self.responseContent.resume.apply(self.responseContent, arguments)
   }
 }
 Request.prototype.destroy = function () {