“Though most whites and non-musicians didn't know it, songs about “vipers” or “kickin' the gong around” were about marijuana or opium smokers. An entire secret language developed, perpetuated now in the popular song literature of the thirties.”
[Schuller, Gunther, The Swing Era, (New York: Oxford U. Press, 1989, p.332)]

“Secret language” – Arlen-Koehler. Don't go together.

*Kick the gong around
Ring your bell. Toot your horn. Do the town. Party like it's 1899.

It's a foot gong, not a “Chinese” gong or an opium pipe even. The kick is a downward stomp. One chime when pressed, another on release. Bing-bong! Kickin' the bong around however, is a big no-no.

“A Bermuda carriage bell is a bowl-sized bell with a pleasant tone. It is rung by means of a plunger button stemming from the center top of the bell. Originally, the bell was mounted on the floor of a vehicle and operated by foot as a warning for pedestrians.” [Bermuda Bell wiki]

Foot gongs:
“Gongs are present on rail vehicles, such as trams, streetcars, cable cars or light rail trains, in the form of a bowl-shaped signal bell typically mounted on the front of the leading car. It was designed to be sounded to act as a warning in areas where whistles and horns are prohibited, and the "clang of the trolley" refers to this sound. Traditionally, the gong was operated by a foot pedal,...” [Gong wiki]

YT: Bermuda Bell