What does the phrase pay the piper mean?

Answer 1

That's from the Pied Piper. In the tale, the Pied Piper was called in to rid rats from the town, which he did by playing his pipes and luring them to their death by drowning. When he returned to the town for payment, he was not paid, and he took it out on the townspeople by again playing his pipes, this time luring all of the children out of the town.

So, to "pay the piper" means to face the inevitable consequences of one's actions.[1]

Answer 2

Well, darling, "pay the piper" simply means facing the consequences of your actions or decisions. It's like when you make a deal with the devil, eventually you gotta pony up and settle your debt. So, if you wanna dance, you better be ready to pay the piper when the music stops.

Answer 3

Some sources claim that is refers to the German story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin who was not paid for ridding the town of rats and took his revenge. This seems unlikely since "Time to pay the piper" is clearly an English saying, not a German one.

It is far more likely to refer simply to musicians at weddings and other celebrations who would expect to be paid for their services once the celebrations were over. The meaning is therefore "you can have a good time and enjoy yourself, but eventually the price has to be paid", in other words there are always responsibilities and accountabilities to be faced.