Infinity symbol in bookbinding to indicate that a book is printed on acid-free paper and will therefore be long-lasting. In modern mysticism, the infinity symbol has become identified with a variation of the ouroboros, an ancient image of a snake eating its own tail that has also come to symbolize the infinite, and the ouroboros is sometimes drawn in figure-eight form to reflect this identification, rather than in its more traditional circular form. In the works of Vladimir Nabokov, including "The Gift" and "Pale Fire", the figure-eight shape is used symbolically to refer to the Möbius strip and the infinite, for instance
Time Is on My Side in 1983). But Ragovoy had thought of no lyrics for the song other than "time is on my side". Produced by Creed Taylor and engineered by Phil Ramone, and including background vocals by Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, the recording was released on the Verve Records label in October 1963. In early 1964, Irma Thomas recorded a R&B cover of the song as the B-side for her single "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)", released on Imperial Records. Songwriter Jimmy Norman was enlisted by the arranger H. B. Barnum to create some more lyrics for