It's pointless to be too dogmatic about this. There are many songs - including narrative songs - in which the first verse is is simply a scene-setting or introduction. It may tell us something about the motives or inclinations of the narrator or other character or the times they lived in. Repeating it at the end can add another layer of meaning, because now that the story has been told, the things mentioned in the first verse can be better understood and reflected on. As I said earlier, this device is used for deliberate effect in some lyric poetry.

No one is saying you have to do it. But to say it should never happen is as foolish as saying you should never have a chorus or refrain (why, logically, would you choose to keep interrupting the story to keep saying the same thing over and over?).

The main thing is that the singer should have a considered reason for repeating a verse, rather than just copying a recording artist who needed to extend the song by another 30 seconds or so.

Marje