meself,

It's an interesting question. Though I also think it's highly unlikely Hugill would have borrowed from Joyce, I don't know the answer to your question for sure. I've sung verses from such places as songs by the hardcore punk (late 70s) band Black Flag and early rap group Sugarhill Gang in performances of shanties. Fifty years from now, if for some reason someone cared what I sang (!), they might be surprised and incredulous at the idea.

Here's some more info. Cecil Sharp printed this verse:

29. Lowlands Low.

Lowlands, Lowlands, Lowlands, lowlands, low.
Our Captain is a bully man;
Lowlands, Lowlands, lowlands, low.
He gave us bread as hard as brass;
Lowlands, Lowlands, lowlands, low.

Sharp would have printed this *directly* as it came from a veteran sailor who sang to him EXCEPT, if it was too racy for print, he would have replaced part of it. It's clear (to me) that the sailor sang the "hard as brass" line. The sore-thumbish, non-rhyming, "bully man" line is suspicious (though not impossible).

When putting together his collection, Hugill would have drawn upon any earlier printed versions he could find, from which to harvest verses to beef up or diversify his presentation. As far as I can remember, Sharp's was the only other document of this song's existence, and Hugill most certainly referenced it.

Given the nature of this type of chanty -- very much improvised, learned from a Caribbean informant -- I doubt that this verse was locked in as a sort of "standard" verse to be sung in the song...meaning that I think it's likely that Hugill's own informant did not sing it. I think it's much more likely that Hugill drew the inspiration to include it by reading Sharp's version.

Hugill was clearly aware of the naughty couplet, so when he read Sharp he would have filled in the gap -- if there was any.

In this case I say Hugill's camouflage is creative because, instead of replacing "ass", he replaces "Lot's wife" with "Balaam" -- a Biblical character who actually rode on an ass (the animal). And rather than that making the couplet nonsensical, the donkey suggests the "salt horse" nickname for the beef. Now *that's* Joyceian!