We're getting a bit worked up here about an anecdote from nearly fifty years ago. Jim Bainbridge hasn't been back to put his original post into context, so we're left with several questions unanswered.

1. "fully three minutes" Did Jim actually time this floor singer's peroration? Or did it just "feel" like three minutes? Sometimes even half a minute can feel like considerably longer. We don't even know from Jim's account whether time was at a premium on this occasion.

2. Did Bob Davenport know the singer personally? That would make a big difference in terms of the social dynamics.

3. Did BD utter his words in the boorish tone the account suggests? Or was it good-humoured badinage?

4. Was BD familiar with the song in question? He may merely have been impatient about hearing stuff that he already knew.

Without knowing any of the above, it's hard to form any general principles. Personally speaking, when it comes to traditional songs in performance, I'm always hungry for any information about them. Even the Child number can come in useful. And some songs just need more explication than others. It's all down to the performer's judgement at the end of the day.