lyrically, "us placers" is a meditation on the perils of fame. fiasco's verse depicts the over-indulgent lifestyles of rich and famous celebrities. in a stoic voice, he rapidly raps an extensive list of materialistic possessions, including a large mansion, a wardrobe full of exorbitant clothes, mexican floral arrangers, a big-screen television, and a fifty-foot yacht. fiasco brings his verse to a close by making a declaration regarding the emptiness of opelence. west uses his verse to expound the ephemerality of fame. citing aspiring participants of reality television programs such as "the real world" and "american idol" and internet celebrities as examples, he implies the fate of those who become instantly famous if only for a short time, in that once their fifteen minutes of fame are over, they then fade away into obscurity, possibly never to enter the public eye ever again. williams takes a more stream-of-consciousness approach to his verse. he swiftly touches on a series of social issues ranging from greenhouse gases, drug dealers, the will god and troubled youth. williams concludes his verse by exposing the motive behind the virginia tech shooting. he states the irony of the suicidal shooter, in that he finally achieved the fame and recognition he sought in life, but is not alive to see it. after each verse, yorke's melodious vocals sing a mournful yet defiant chorus that complements the song's concept of the sisyphean pursuit of fame: "the more you try to erase me, the more that i appear."