Some minor comments:

"The Whole Song" is an odd concept anyway, in our context. With something like "Lord Randal" - there's no such beast! Which version you sing, and which verses you include/exclude depends on the context and circumstances. Where there IS a story, it usually (not always) pays to include enough to tell that story. On the other ahnd, as was implied in earlier posts, part of the appeal of (traditional) ballads is that they usually DON'T tell the whole story!

I know that there are a number of long songs I do where I semi-consciously know which verses I can safely omit if the audience are getting bored, I need a drink, the landlord is looking at his watch or whatever. Equally there are songs where I know people expect standard short versions and where, if the conditions are right, I can sneak in other verses and turn the prism by which they see the song.

Shortening songs just to squeeze in more numbers in a set seems particularly pointless to me.

Regards