From the point of view of someone who loves, sings and listens to songs but does not write them, a couple of things to watch if you're attempting to write a song:
1) New songs are often too long. If it's a long ballad-style song that tells a tale, it may need to be on the long side, but if it's not, make it four of five verses max, particularly if there's a chorus. The "folk process" has a habit of whittling down songs to their essentials, but when this hasn't had chance to happen, newer songs are often too long, with too much padding. Far better to make it short and leave 'em wanting more.
2) Get a really good tune. If you can write one, that's great, but if not, there are hundreds of good traditional tunes out there that either have no words or words that (probably for good reasons) are rarely sung. Even some hymn tunes are worth pinching or adapting. New songs often have tunes that are formulaic and forgettable, so even if the lyrics are good, they don't stand a chance if paired with a feeble melody.

Marje