Dom,

If you think that there's no time for songs with 48 verses then you're listening to the wrong type of music. May I suggest you would be better off listening to pop music where the 3 minute song reigns supreme, music for people with the attention span of a goldfish! The music Martin Carthy sings (and most of us here love) is music for people who had no radio and TV and wanted to fill those dark winter nights when there was nothing to do but repair nets and pots, spin and weave and so on. And there are some subjects and stories that are too big even for 48 verses.