I've heard live performances, and seen Youtube videos, where the musical noodling at the start or in the middle goes on for something like a minute without a word being sung. I find myself saying (very quietly to myself if it's a live performance) "Get on with it". A song consists of words and tune. Neither should eclipse the other.

A ballad takes as long as it takes, but any musical breaks making it even longer should be avoided entirely or, at most, applied in moderation at points where there is a natural break in the narrative.

As for the length of the song itself, I agree with most of the comments above.