Fig.: to die. In a metaphorical way, settling an inevitable consequence

Sooner or later, we'll all have to pay the ferryman

Prima o poi tutti dovremo pagare il nostro obolo a Caronte

In Greek mythology, Charon was the ferryman who transported the souls of the dead across the Acheron, the river that marked the boundary of the Underworld.
To make this journey, a soul had to pay a coin, called "obol", to Charon. Souls who could not pay, were turned away and doomed to wander forever along the riverbanks, unable to find peace.
For this reason, the ancients placed an obol coin in the mouth of the deceased so that they could pay for their passage to the realm of the dead.