The article considers the type of subject syncretism, specific to song poetry arising in the course of creating cover versions and tributes, that is, when a piece moves from one artist to another. The author demonstrates specific “mechanisms” of subject transformations of a song. The conclusion is made that modern performing arts are close to archaic forms of consciousness and thinking.

The article deals with the subject sphere of the lyrics by G. Shulpyakov and M. Stepanova, namely the principle of polyphony, in which the speaker’s “I” falls into two dialogically connected hypostases. The author describes the potential and functions of this “optics” in the works by both authors and concludes that their poetic systems are typologically similar.