I have heard a story completely different from anything mentioned here. There is the song "Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah" and another, more boring song that we don't hear too often, called, "No one in the house but Dinah". These songs were used as codes during the Underground Railroad. If they heard "Someone's in the kitchen", they knew to stay hidden and not come out, because the house had people in it that may turn over the slaves. If they heard "No one in the house", then they knew it was safe to enter.