ðə tˈaɪɾəl ɹᵻfˈɜːz bˈoʊθ tə dʒˈɔɪ dᵻvˈɪʒənz sˈɔŋ "dˈɛd sˈoʊlz" ænd tə ðə wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi tˈuː nˈɪkəlˌaɪ ɡˈɑːɡɑːl nˈɑːvəl dˈɛd sˈoʊlz; kwˈoʊts fɹʌmðə lˈæɾɚɹ ɐpˈɪɹ æt ðə bɪɡˈɪnɪŋz ʌvðə tˈuː dᵻvˈɪʒənz ʌvðə bˈʊk.
The title refers both to Joy Division's song "Dead Souls" and to the 1842 Nikolai Gogol novel Dead Souls; quotes from the latter appear at the beginnings of the two divisions of the book.