About The Song
“Thirty Pieces of Silver” is a gospel-tinged ballad that Hank Williams included in his broadcast repertoire rather than as a commercial MGM single. The song itself traces back to singer-songwriter Mac Odell (often shown as Mac O’Dell), who first recorded it in 1949; by the time Hank encountered it the tune had already circulated through gospel and country channels and been taken up by a number of regional artists. Hank’s take on the song fits comfortably with the religious material he favored for radio appearances and special programming.
Hank recorded his version for the Mother’s Best radio transcriptions in the early months of 1951, the same series of sessions that produced a large group of short programs intended for syndication. Those transcriptions were cut at WSM’s Nashville studios with a small backing unit — the familiar Drifting Cowboys lineup of the time — and were designed to sound immediate and conversational on the air. Because these recordings were created for broadcast use, many of them remained unissued commercially for decades, only resurfacing on archival compilations and reissue packages much later.
Musically and narratively, “Thirty Pieces of Silver” leans on the biblical image of betrayal to make a moral point. Hank’s delivery treats the lyric as a plainspoken testimony rather than a theatrical sermon; the arrangement is spare, allowing the vocal to carry the story. That straightforward approach was characteristic of Hank’s sacred selections: clarity of message, minimal embellishment, and a voice that suggested both conviction and weariness in equal measure.
The song’s presence in Hank’s radio programs highlights a recurrent tension in his career: the clash between jukebox-friendly honky-tonk singles that sold records and the quieter, more didactic material he felt compelled to record and broadcast. Producer and manager concerns about marketability meant that many of these gospel or recitation pieces were shelved from single promotion, yet Hank persisted in performing them because they reflected another side of his musical identity.
Over the years “Thirty Pieces of Silver” found its way onto various archival releases gathering Hank’s radio work; those reissues allowed listeners to hear material that had circulated only among collectors or local stations for decades. The song also retained a life outside of Hank’s version: it was covered by multiple country and gospel performers in the 1950s and beyond, which testifies to the song’s strong roots in mid-century American sacred and vernacular traditions.
For listeners exploring Hank Williams beyond his chart hits, the recording offers a useful vantage point. It shows how he balanced popular appeal with a deep engagement in gospel repertory, and it demonstrates the way radio transcriptions preserved a different set of priorities — immediacy, moral reflection, and plain delivery — than Nashville studio singles. In short, Hank’s “Thirty Pieces of Silver” is less a commercial artifact than a piece of his ongoing conversation with religious song and the rural traditions that shaped him.
Video
Lyric
Here’s a song took direct from The Bible
Written by Odell McLouth
Like to do it for you it’s called, “Thirty pieces of silver”
‘Tis a sad but true story
From the bible it came
And it tells us how Judas
Sold the savior in shame
He planned with the council
Of high priest that day
30 pieces of silver
Was the price they would pay
30 pieces of silver
30 shackles of shame
Was the price paid for Jesus
On the cross he was slain
Betrayed and forsaken
Unloved and unclaimed
In anger they pierced him
But he died not in vein
‘Twas on there on the hillside
The multitude came
And found our dear savoir
Then took him away
They bruised and they mocked him
Thorns were crowned around his head
And his garment of purple
Showed the blood stains of red
Far off in the mountains with his face towards the sun
Judas begged mercy for what he had done
He gave back the silver
For his heart filled with strife
Then there in the mountain he took his own life
30 pieces of silver
30 shackles of shame
Was the price paid for Jesus
On the cross he was slain
Thank you Hank, for a fine song