diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkRequest.java
index 3c7472ea8ab..5f2519424a6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/bulk/BulkRequest.java
@@ -99,99 +99,103 @@ public class BulkRequest implements ActionRequest {
             // now parse the action
             XContentParser parser = xContent.createParser(data, from, nextMarker - from);
 
-            // move pointers
-            from = nextMarker + 1;
-
-            // Move to START_OBJECT
-            XContentParser.Token token = parser.nextToken();
-            if (token == null) {
-                continue;
-            }
-            assert token == XContentParser.Token.START_OBJECT;
-            // Move to FIELD_NAME, that's the action
-            token = parser.nextToken();
-            assert token == XContentParser.Token.FIELD_NAME;
-            String action = parser.currentName();
-
-            String index = defaultIndex;
-            String type = defaultType;
-            String id = null;
-            String routing = null;
-            String parent = null;
-            String timestamp = null;
-            Long ttl = null;
-            String opType = null;
-            long version = 0;
-            VersionType versionType = VersionType.INTERNAL;
-            String percolate = null;
-
-            // at this stage, next token can either be END_OBJECT (and use default index and type, with auto generated id)
-            // or START_OBJECT which will have another set of parameters
-
-            String currentFieldName = null;
-            while ((token = parser.nextToken()) != XContentParser.Token.END_OBJECT) {
-                if (token == XContentParser.Token.FIELD_NAME) {
-                    currentFieldName = parser.currentName();
-                } else if (token.isValue()) {
-                    if ("_index".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        index = parser.text();
-                    } else if ("_type".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        type = parser.text();
-                    } else if ("_id".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        id = parser.text();
-                    } else if ("_routing".equals(currentFieldName) || "routing".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        routing = parser.text();
-                    } else if ("_parent".equals(currentFieldName) || "parent".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        parent = parser.text();
-                    } else if ("_timestamp".equals(currentFieldName) || "timestamp".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        timestamp = parser.text();
-                    } else if ("_ttl".equals(currentFieldName) || "ttl".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        if (parser.currentToken() == XContentParser.Token.VALUE_STRING) {
-                            ttl = TimeValue.parseTimeValue(parser.text(), null).millis();
-                        } else {
-                            ttl = parser.longValue();
-                        }
-                    } else if ("op_type".equals(currentFieldName) || "opType".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        opType = parser.text();
-                    } else if ("_version".equals(currentFieldName) || "version".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        version = parser.longValue();
-                    } else if ("_version_type".equals(currentFieldName) || "_versionType".equals(currentFieldName) || "version_type".equals(currentFieldName) || "versionType".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        versionType = VersionType.fromString(parser.text());
-                    } else if ("percolate".equals(currentFieldName) || "_percolate".equals(currentFieldName)) {
-                        percolate = parser.textOrNull();
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-
-            if ("delete".equals(action)) {
-                add(new DeleteRequest(index, type, id).parent(parent).version(version).versionType(versionType).routing(routing));
-            } else {
-                nextMarker = findNextMarker(marker, from, data, length);
-                if (nextMarker == -1) {
-                    break;
-                }
-                // order is important, we set parent after routing, so routing will be set to parent if not set explicitly
-                // we use internalAdd so we don't fork here, this allows us not to copy over the big byte array to small chunks
-                // of index request. All index requests are still unsafe if applicable.
-                if ("index".equals(action)) {
-                    if (opType == null) {
-                        internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
-                                .source(data, from, nextMarker - from, contentUnsafe)
-                                .percolate(percolate));
-                    } else {
-                        internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
-                                .create("create".equals(opType))
-                                .source(data, from, nextMarker - from, contentUnsafe)
-                                .percolate(percolate));
-                    }
-                } else if ("create".equals(action)) {
-                    internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
-                            .create(true)
-                            .source(data, from, nextMarker - from, contentUnsafe)
-                            .percolate(percolate));
-                }
+            try {
                 // move pointers
                 from = nextMarker + 1;
+
+                // Move to START_OBJECT
+                XContentParser.Token token = parser.nextToken();
+                if (token == null) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+                assert token == XContentParser.Token.START_OBJECT;
+                // Move to FIELD_NAME, that's the action
+                token = parser.nextToken();
+                assert token == XContentParser.Token.FIELD_NAME;
+                String action = parser.currentName();
+
+                String index = defaultIndex;
+                String type = defaultType;
+                String id = null;
+                String routing = null;
+                String parent = null;
+                String timestamp = null;
+                Long ttl = null;
+                String opType = null;
+                long version = 0;
+                VersionType versionType = VersionType.INTERNAL;
+                String percolate = null;
+
+                // at this stage, next token can either be END_OBJECT (and use default index and type, with auto generated id)
+                // or START_OBJECT which will have another set of parameters
+
+                String currentFieldName = null;
+                while ((token = parser.nextToken()) != XContentParser.Token.END_OBJECT) {
+                    if (token == XContentParser.Token.FIELD_NAME) {
+                        currentFieldName = parser.currentName();
+                    } else if (token.isValue()) {
+                        if ("_index".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            index = parser.text();
+                        } else if ("_type".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            type = parser.text();
+                        } else if ("_id".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            id = parser.text();
+                        } else if ("_routing".equals(currentFieldName) || "routing".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            routing = parser.text();
+                        } else if ("_parent".equals(currentFieldName) || "parent".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            parent = parser.text();
+                        } else if ("_timestamp".equals(currentFieldName) || "timestamp".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            timestamp = parser.text();
+                        } else if ("_ttl".equals(currentFieldName) || "ttl".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            if (parser.currentToken() == XContentParser.Token.VALUE_STRING) {
+                                ttl = TimeValue.parseTimeValue(parser.text(), null).millis();
+                            } else {
+                                ttl = parser.longValue();
+                            }
+                        } else if ("op_type".equals(currentFieldName) || "opType".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            opType = parser.text();
+                        } else if ("_version".equals(currentFieldName) || "version".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            version = parser.longValue();
+                        } else if ("_version_type".equals(currentFieldName) || "_versionType".equals(currentFieldName) || "version_type".equals(currentFieldName) || "versionType".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            versionType = VersionType.fromString(parser.text());
+                        } else if ("percolate".equals(currentFieldName) || "_percolate".equals(currentFieldName)) {
+                            percolate = parser.textOrNull();
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+
+                if ("delete".equals(action)) {
+                    add(new DeleteRequest(index, type, id).parent(parent).version(version).versionType(versionType).routing(routing));
+                } else {
+                    nextMarker = findNextMarker(marker, from, data, length);
+                    if (nextMarker == -1) {
+                        break;
+                    }
+                    // order is important, we set parent after routing, so routing will be set to parent if not set explicitly
+                    // we use internalAdd so we don't fork here, this allows us not to copy over the big byte array to small chunks
+                    // of index request. All index requests are still unsafe if applicable.
+                    if ("index".equals(action)) {
+                        if (opType == null) {
+                            internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
+                                    .source(data, from, nextMarker - from, contentUnsafe)
+                                    .percolate(percolate));
+                        } else {
+                            internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
+                                    .create("create".equals(opType))
+                                    .source(data, from, nextMarker - from, contentUnsafe)
+                                    .percolate(percolate));
+                        }
+                    } else if ("create".equals(action)) {
+                        internalAdd(new IndexRequest(index, type, id).routing(routing).parent(parent).timestamp(timestamp).ttl(ttl).version(version).versionType(versionType)
+                                .create(true)
+                                .source(data, from, nextMarker - from, contentUnsafe)
+                                .percolate(percolate));
+                    }
+                    // move pointers
+                    from = nextMarker + 1;
+                }
+            } finally {
+                parser.close();
             }
         }
         return this;