[jQuery] XML parsing

Following is my XML file:
<record>
<state> F</state>
<sub_record>
<state> T </state>
<sub_record>
</record>
I want to get the first state out, which is F.
I use
var state = $("state",kj).text();
I got FT back. How can I get only F back?
Thanks!
Cindy