The poetic song of Bulat Okudzhava «Vanka Morozov» is regarded as an early manifestation of the poet’s self-determination in the context of the romance tradition. Juxtapositions with the genre thought to be the source of the poem (urban romance), with the parody and stylization of romance in the literature of the XXth century are given. The genesis of the key images and motives is traced. A new interpretation of the romance poetics transformation in Okudzhava’s poetry is offered.