The article considers the question of originality of the idea and title of the poem by N. Nekrasov “To Whom in Russia to live well” and compares it with folk lyrics of songs and lamentations. The research reveals that Nekrasov's poem is based on the model of the folklore text of songs about birds, namely, “What is it like for birds to live in Russia”. The authors of the article believe that Nekrasov adapted the “bird” material, saturating it with social problems focused on the ideals of time.